New and Adjusted Families, Schools, and Paths

[Mindshred]

New Families

Lion Clan: Shimizu Family

The Shimizu family was founded in the 743rd year of the Empire by Akodo Shimizu as a reward for uncovering the plot of the Maho-tsukai Agasha Enshoku, who was then masquerading as a Crane - Kakita Edako, one of the proposed brides of the Emperor. While barely more than a decade old, the Shimizu family is already growing quite rapidly, primarily due to its practice of offering fealty to trusted ronin.

Family Bonus: +1 Willpower



Piranha Clan: Ryuuta Family

The Ryuuta family was formed in 757 as a solution to the issue of who should be given stewardship of the Shinomen Forest. The Ryuuta are still settling in to their new home in the forest, but they have already opened a peaceful dialogue with the Naga of Tausha's Legion, who they have been commanded to liaison with and keep an eye on. As a result, the Ryuuta have already had more contact with the Naga than just about anyone else in the Empire, and a few have already begun to write primers on Naga etiquette for those samurai who find themselves with the admittedly rare Naga guest.

Family Bonus: +1 Awareness



Ronin: Fairuz Family

The Fairuz family - sometimes referred to as "House Fairuz" by its founder - is made up of those ronin who have sworn fealty to the Jade Champion, Fairuz. Though their numbers are still small, they have the backing of the Otomo family, which has resulted in the family having access to far more resources than most other ronin groups of similar or even larger size.

Fairuz himself has thus far decided to stay out of politics as much as possible, and his quiet yet dignified manner is in direct contrast to the loud and abusive nature of his predecessor. The family has thus far done little save to claim a small portion of the lands in the far northwestern corner of the Empire as their own, and only time will tell what direction the Jade Champion will lead his new family.

Family Bonus: +1 Intelligence



Adjusted Families

Mantis Clan

The Gusai Family name was stripped from the Mantis in the year 510, after the Mantis Champion kidnapped the Imperial Heir in an attempt to gain power. Because of this, the Mantis Clan do not possess a Family name, and do not gain the Trait bonuses such a name would normally grant them.

Instead, Mantis Clan characters gain an additional 10 experience points when they create their character, which may be spent in whatever manner they wish.

[Mindshred]

Adjusted Schools

Agasha Shugenja

This is currently a Dragon Clan school.

Tonbo Shugenja

This is currently a Dragon Clan school.

New Schools

Crab School: Hiruma Stalker [Bushi/Ninja]
After the fall of Hiruma Castle, the Hiruma family had no sensei and was unable to preserve the knowledge of its ancient bushi school. Most of the samurai who actually knew its advanced techniques had perished in battle with the Maw, and those who knew its more basic methods were too focused upon reclaiming their castle to pass on their wisdom.

With the recovery of scrolls detailing the techniques of the Hiruma Stalker school from Shiro Hiruma by Hiruma Tatsuya, however, the Crab were able to once again able to begin teaching others the ancient techniques developed by Hiruma himself. Though two of the scrolls were lost, Tatsuya found dubious copies to replace them, ensuring that the school could be rebuilt despite some minor corruption to the third and fifth techniques.

Benefit: +1 Reflexes
Skills: Athletics, Hunting, Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, Lore: Shadowlands, Stealth (Sneaking), any one Bugei skill
Beginning Honor: 4.0
Outfit: Ashigaru or Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Bow with 20 Arrows or Knife, Traveling Pack, 3 koku

Techniques:

Rank 1: Dance the Razor's Edge: The Hiruma scouts learn the ways of the Shadowlands intimately, and are taught to rely on speed and stealth to survive. You may add your Stealth Skill rank to the total of your Initiative rolls (unless caught by surprise or otherwise unaware). You can make all food, water, and jade rations last twice as long as normal for a number of people equal to your Hunting Skill Rank. While in Hiruma lands or the Shadowlands, you gain a +1k0 bonus to Stealth rolls.

Rank 2: Run Like the Wind: The Hiruma practice speed, evasion, and endurance in order to evade their enemies. When you make a Free Move action while in the Full Defense Stance you may move your Water x10 feet instead of your Water x5 feet. When taking no actions other than moving, your Water Ring is considered to be three ranks higher for the purposes of determining how far you can move.

Rank 3: Veil of the Shadow: A skilled Hiruma Stalker can vanish into the shadows as if she were part of them. As long as you do not move and have some form of cover, you may spend a Void point to make yourself all but invisible - in mechanical terms, this adds a number of kept dice to your Stealth roll equal to your School Rank. If you do not have any cover, you may still attempt to hide in this manner, but doing so causes you to gain one point of Shadow Corruption. This effect lasts until you move or make noise.

Rank 4: Harness the Wind: The Hiruma learn how to strike as swiftly as they run. They may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when using any Samurai weapon, knife, or bow. They may also attack as a Simple Action when fighting any Shadowlands creature or other known Tainted nonhuman (such as tainted gaki).

Rank 5: Strike of the Shadow: The Hiruma stalkers strike their opponents from hiding, delivering vicious blows that get past all defenses. If you are striking a surprised or unaware foe, your Raises are not limited by Void, and you can ignore 10 points of Reduction (from any source). If any of your damage dice explode, your target gains one point of Shadow Corruption for each such explosion.

Scorpion School: Shosuro Butei [Courtier/Ninja]
The Shosuro Butei Academy is a famous acting school, rivaling the actors of the Kakita Artisan Academy, but its students are also taught methods of infiltration and impersonation. The most promising students receive instruction in stealth and assassination, and are taught how to use their contacts within the Scorpion spy network to build up the false personas which they use throughout their careers.

Benefit: +1 Awareness
Skills: Acting, Etiquette, Knives, Meditation, Sincerity (Deceit), Stealth, any one High or Low Skill.
Beginning Honor: 1.5
Outfit: Fine Clothing, Assorted Costumes and Disguises, Knife, Traveling Pack, 10 Koku.

Techniques:

Rank 1: A Thousand Masks: The Shosuro Actor has been taught how to utterly loose themselves within a role, so much so that they can even present a convincing facade of honor, fame, or social position (or lack thereof). With ten minutes of preparation (which usually involves applying makeup, changing your clothes and posture, and other theater tricks), you may assume a role and adjust your effective Status, Honor, or Glory by a number of Ranks equal to your Ranks in this School. This adjustment may be either up or down, as you see fit, on a one-for-one basis, in any combination you wish. These adjustments last until you break character (as a simple action), an obvious event to anyone watching - your body language, posture, expression, and tone of voice all instantly and obviously change.

Rank 2: Sheathe Your Lies in Truth: As they become more comfortable in their roles, Shosuro Actors learn how to draw upon their own experiences to make a performance truly come to life. The TN of Investigation/Perception rolls made to see through your disguises are increased by +5 per Rank you possess in this School. In addition, when under the effects of the "A Thousand Masks" technique, you may add your ranks in the Acting Skill to the total of any Social Skill Roll you make, to a maximum bonus of twice your Ranks in this School.

Rank 3: A Scorpion Has a Thousand Hearts: From the the moment a Shosuro Actor begins training, they are taught to adopt the mannerisms and customs of other Clans and Families. Using correspondence and assistance from senior students all across the Empire, Actors create fictional persona with legitimate credentials and networks of contacts. Enough groundwork has now been laid that you are able to adopt one of these fictional persona. The persona is a specific individual with a specific history and correspondences, and is entirely fictional (thus, you may not pretend to be an already existing character). You may choose one basic School belonging to one of the Great Clans or Minor Clans and gain that School's Starting Outfit.

In addition, you gain five free experience points that you must immediately spend; these experience points can only be spent to learn skills belonging to the basic School you have chosen; if you are unable to spend any of these skill points in this manner, the remaining skill points are lost. You may choose to adopt your fictional persona when you use your "A Thousand Masks" technique; if you do so, you may instead adjust your Status, Honor, and Glory by a number of Ranks equal to twice your School Rank (but only when pretending to be that fictional persona). Unlike other disguises, your fictional persona has been carefully crafted to suit you perfectly; other characters attempting to see through your disguise automatically fail their rolls.

Rank 4: The Viper's Kiss: The Shosuro family employs conventional assassins, but sometimes calls upon its Actors to serve in that capacity as well. You may now choose to break character as a free action, rather than a simple action. If you choose to do so, the sudden change to your features and posture is such that you may make a single Contested Roll of your Acting/Awareness against the Investigation/Perception Rolls of everyone watching you. Any characters that fail this roll are Stunned. Nonhuman characters and characters with at least one rank in the Shosuro Actor School automatically succeed at this roll. In addition, you may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when using Small melee weapons.

Rank 5: False Face, False Soul: Everyone in Rokugan wears a metaphorical mask, and by exploiting that truth, the Shosuro Actor is able to draw upon this web of lies and half-truths to bring another fictional persona to life. You gain a second persona as described in the "A Scorpion Has a Thousand Hearts" technique, but instead of just choosing a basic School from a Great Clan or Minor Clan, you may also choose an Imperial basic school. Furthermore, while you are using your "A Thousand Masks" technique to adopt the role of one of your fictional persona, you may spend a Void Point to gain the Rank 1 Technique of that persona's basic school until the end of the scene, or until you break character (whichever comes first).

Ronin School: Jade Sahir

Benefit: +1 Willpower
Skills: Calligraphy (Cipher), Etiquette, Spellcraft, Lore: Theology, Lore: Burning Sands, any two Skills.
Honor: 4.5
Outit: Sturdy Robes, Wakizashi, Traveling Pack, Scroll Satchel, 3 koku.
Affinity/Deficiency: Jade Sahir have no Affinity or Deficiency.

Technique: Invoking the Seal

Fairuz's method of calling upon the kami is foreign to most shugenja, and does not involve calling upon the kami so much as it does focusing upon the image of a grand seal in your mind and the manipulating it with your hands. It is a strange concept for most shugenja to understand, but once mastered it allows them much greater flexibility in their spellcasting. When you spend a void point on a Spellcasting Roll, you may choose to expend any number of additional spell slots as you cast your spell, but no more than one additional spell slot per Ring. For each such additional spell slot you expend in this manner, you gain a Free Raise on your Spellcasting Roll.

Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 spells of one element, 2 spells of another element, and 1 spell of a third element. You gain additional spells for going up in Rank normally so long as you remain on good terms with the Jade Champion.

[Mindshred]

New Paths

Wings of the Crane [Bushi]
The beauty of the Crane clan knows no bounds, and that beauty is found in war and art alike. The of the Crane technique is a constant reminded of the clan's position as the Left Hand of the emperor and their duty to cultivate culture and beauty while fulfilling a samurai’s Duty. This path was created by Daidoji Nobu in 755 and is based upon his philosophy: Any and all services can be performed at all times with grace and beauty, and there is no reason that pragmatism should ever replace culture.

Technique Rank: 3
Replaces: Any Crane 3
Requirements: Perform (any) or Artisan (any) 4, Bugei (any) 4, Void 3

Technique: The Crane Takes Flight

The Wings of the Crane teaches that the arts are as alive in conflict as conflict is present in the arts. Select one Bugei skill and one Perform or Artisan Skill. These are your two chosen skills. You may add half your chosen High Skill Rank (rounded up) to the total of your chosen Bugei Skill rolls. You may also add half your chosen Bugei Skill Rank (rounded up) to the total of your chosen High Skill rolls. If you spend a Void point to enhance one of your chosen skills you add the entire appropriate chosen Skill Rank to that roll rather than only half.

Shiba Sentinel [Bushi]
Near the beginning of the Empire's assault into the Shinomen Forest, the coalition forces came across the ruins of Nirukti, an ancient Naga city. Through the efforts of the scholars and educated samurai attached to the campaign, Asako Mariko was able to decipher the strange runes carved onto a collapsed stone wall and gain some insight into the ways of the Naga race.

After the war had finished, Mariko took this knowledge home with her to Phoenix lands. She was instructed to find some method of tapping into the shared consciousness of the Naga Akasha, but no matter how many rituals and spells she used, progress eluded her. It was weeks before Mariko realized that her own rituals and the frequent headaches of her brother were related, but once she made the connection, it proved to be the breakthrough she had been seeking.

Rather than tapping into the Akasha, the kami had sought out the nearest living creature - Mariko's brother Genkei - and formed a weak bond with his soul. It was a harmless bond that might have gone unnoticed by many, but Genkei's training as a Shiba bushi allowed him to sense the connection. Working together, the two siblings managed to refine the connection, and soon they had received approval to begin teaching others how to draw upon the Void in a similar manner.

Technique Rank: 1
Replaces: Shiba Bushi 1
Skills: As Shiba Bushi
Beginning Honor: As Shiba Bushi
Outfit: As Shiba Bushi

Rank 1: The Harmony of Two Souls

While unable to tap into the shared consciousness of the Naga Akasha, the Shiba Sentinel has been taught how to duplicate a similar effect through the void, if only for the span of a single breath. If you spend a Void Point while using the Guard maneuver, your target gains a Void Point. This Void Point may exceed the target's maximum, but all excess Void Points are lost after combat resolves. If you are guarding multiple targets, you must choose which one will benefit from this Technique. If the target of your Guard maneuver possesses this Technique, they do not gain a Void Point, but instead heal 5 wounds whenever you spend a Void Point. You may Guard as a Free Action, but if you do so, your target only adds +5 to his Armor TN instead of +10.

Yogo Soulbinder [Shugenja]
Late in the summer of 755, the Scorpion managed to obtain proof that the former Hiruma daimyo, Hiruma Jun, was killed not because he was tainted, but because he had accused family daimyo Kuni Toru of being tainted. Though furious at the accusation, Toru agreed to give the Scorpion access to the libraries of his family in exchange for making the testimony against him disappear. The Yogo and Soshi spent the next few months pouring over restricted texts dating back to the early days of the Empire, and much was learned that to bolster the libraries of the fledgling Kuroiban organization.

Though it took nearly a year, the Scorpion were eventually able to refine the knowledge they had gained into a weapon, albeit one that skirted the very edges of what was considered to be heretical spellcasting. By twisting the kami in a way similar to the way that the Kuni had observed maho tsukai twisting the kansen, they struck upon a way to temporarily cut a person off from the influence of Jigoku. That this same method also harmed the link between a samurai and his ancestors was seen as a plus by the Scorpion, as it allowed the technique to be put to much broader uses than merely hunting maho tsukai.

Because the technique comes within a hair's breath of being considered maho, the Kuroiban keep a close watch on those who learn the technique of the newly formed Yogo Soulbinders, watching for the warning signs that their newest weapon has stepped across the line and become a danger to the Empire.

Technique Rank: 3
Replaces: Any Scorpion Shugenja School, Rank 3
Requirements: Forbidden Knowledge (Maho), Lore: Maho 3

Technique: Yogo's Kiss

As a Free Action, you may spend a Void Point to make a Contested Lore: Maho/Intelligence roll against your target's Insight Rank/Willpower, to a range of 60 feet. If you win the Contested Roll, your opponent's Attack and Damage dice do not explode for a number of rounds equal to your Shugenja School Rank. If your target has one or more ranks of Shadowlands Taint, the duration of this penalty is doubled and during that time the target cannot "embrace the Taint" and must call two additional Raises for no effect whenever they attempt to cast a Maho spell. This use of Lore: Maho is not considered to be a Low Skill.

Student of the Sun [Bushi]
Bushi training has never been a high priority among the Centipede, but with the rescue of Sun Gang, the last surviving member of the legendary Sun ronin family, and his subsequent oath of fealty to the Moshi, things have started to change. While more than a little full of himself, Sun Gang is an expert tactician, and he has been working alongside the bushi of his new family to develop new techniques. The ease at which he created the "Student of the Sun" path has quelled the doubts of those among the Centipede who doubted Gang's lineage.

Technique Rank: 2
Replaces: This path can be taken by any Centipede Clan bushi that meets the requirements.
Requirements: Moshi Guardian of the Sun

Technique: The Sun Shines on All

The bonuses from your Defended as the Sun Technique now apply when you are defending any location or personage. Its effects are doubled (to +2k0 to your attack rolls or +2k2 to the Armor TN of a person or object you are Guarding) when you are defending a Moshi personage or holding.

Additionally, if you are in the Full Defense stance, when an opponent attacks you and misses, you gain a bonus to your attack rolls against that opponent equal to the amount by which they missed you (to a maximum of +5 per Insight Rank). If an opponent attacks and misses a target you are Guarding, you gain this bonus against that opponent regardless of your current stance. This bonus lasts until the end of your next turn and does not stack with itself; if an opponent misses you twice, you gain only the highest of the bonuses from the two missed attacks.