Taryu-jiai is the formal art of dueling between spellcasters. In order to participate in this contest, characters much be shugenja capable of casting spells. A taru-jiai duel functions in a similar manner to an iaijutsu duel, as noted below.
The flashy and otherwordly nature of Taryu-jiai duels have made them very popular throughout Rokugan, and it is a rare court indeed that does not involve at least one such duel, even if done only for the purposes of entertainment. The entertainment value of these duels comes at a steep price, however, for it is very easy for one or both of the dueling shugenja to become seriously injured by the raw power of the kami. Despite this, there are some shugenja who have devoted themselves entirely to the practice of Taryu-jiai dueling, for it is a quick and easy way to gain renown and prestige among the courts.
Assuming that they're not burnt to a crisp by a stray fireball, that is.
Assessment
On the first Round of the duel, both characters enter the Assessment stage on the Initiative Turn of the faster duelist. During the Assessment stage, each participant assumes the Center Stance and makes a Spellcraft (Taryu-jiai)/Awareness roll against a TN equal to 10 plus their opponent's Insight Rank x 5. If successful, a duelist's roll reveals any one of the following pieces of information, plus an additional piece of information per Raise.
- * All of the opponent's elemental Affinities.
* All of the opponent's elemental Deficiencies
* The value of one of the opponent's Rings of your choice (may be chosen multiple times).
* The opponent's Spellcraft skill.
* Any Spellcraft Emphases the opponent may possess.
* The current number of Void Points the opponent has available.
* The opponent's current Wound Level.
If a character's Assessment roll exceeds the total of their opponent's roll by 10 or more, whether or not it gained any information, the winning character gets a bonus of +1k1 on his subsequent Focus roll. At this point, it is possible for either of the duelists to concede defeat, recognizing his opponent as superior.
Focus
During the second Round of the duel, both characters enter the Focus stage on the Initiative Turn of the faster duelist. The shugenja gather the kami to their side as each prepares to unleash their chosen spell at their opponent. Both characters make Contested Spell Casting Rolls using an Elemental Ring of their choice, rolling dice equal to their Insight Rank plus their chosen Ring and keeping a number of dice equal to the Ring. Affinities and Deficiencies apply to this Spell Casting roll as normal, but only shugenja with the Ishiken-Do Advantage may select the Void Ring for this roll.
If one shugenja beats the other's roll by 5 or more, that shugenja has earned the right to make the first strike. He gains a Free Raise toward his strike roll for every additional increment of 5 points by which he beats his opponent's roll. If neither shugenja beats the other's roll by at least 5, then a simultaneous "kharmic strike" takes place.
Strike
On the third Round of the duel, both characters enter the Strike stage on the Initiative Turn of the slower duelist. The shugenja who won first strike makes a Spellcraft (Taryu-jiai)/Trait attack roll against his opponent's normal Armor TN. The Trait used in this check is the mental Trait associated with the shugenja's chosen Ring (Willpower for Earth, Intelligence for Fire, etc). Any Free Raises gained during the focus stage apply to this roll, and additional Raises may be called as if it were a normal attack. The attack deals XkX wounds if successful, where X is equal to the shugenja's chosen Ring.
The second duelist may then make his Spellcraft (Taryu-jiai)/Trait attack roll against his opponent's normal Armor TN, assuming he still lives. In a duel to first blood, the second duelist has lost the duel if his opponent struck him, but because of the difficulty of halting a fireball or razor sharp shards of rock in mid-air, the second shugenja must still make this attack roll. In the event that neither opponent won the Contested Roll during the Focus stage, both make their attack rolls simultaneously, an event known as a kharmic strike. Destiny has intervened, and the cause of the duel is considered dropped by both participants. Neither is the victor or the defeated.
If neither shugenja is dead at the end of the strike phase, and if the duel is to the death, the duel begins over again at the Focus stage as both shugenja attempt to gather the kami for their next spell. The duel continues until one of the shugenja dies or admits defeat.
Players are encouraged to be creative in describing the manifestations of their gathered elemental power, though this has no direct effect upon the mechanics of the duel.
