The ronin mechanics in the L5R 4th Edition RPG are designed to reflect the unfortunate reality of a wave-man’s life - namely, most ronin bands are only around for a short time, and are unable to develop more than one Technique. Even the rare ronin groups that manage to endure for a long time or gain prestigious support, such as the Legion of Two Thousand, are hard-pressed to establish the sort of infrastructure and long-term continuity required to maintain a full-fledged bushi school. The game design reflects this with a system which forces most ronin to rely chiefly on their innate capacities (represented by Skills) with only one or two Techniques.
Although this approach is realistic for the setting, it does put ronin significantly behind clan characters (even Minor Clan characters) in terms of their game-mechanic capabilities. This can be frustrating for players who are running ronin characters. GMs who wish to mitigate this frustration can opt to make this “generic ronin school” available for play. Although a “generic” school does not really fit the concept of what schools are supposed to represent in the world of Rokugan, it does allow greater options for players, which is a virtue in itself. GMs can thus have the freedom to decide whether they wish to focus their campaigns more on setting authenticity at the expense of game-balance, or more on game-balance and maintaining fairness between players.
Although this school is intended primarily to represent ronin, it can also be used to represent any other situation in which a character could have martial training without access to a “named” bushi school. For example, it could represent the training of Great Clan samurai who belong to minor vassal families without access to their clan’s main dojo. It could also represent Minor Clan samurai in clans like the Fox, Dragonfly, Oriole, or Bat who have bushi in their ranks but lack any bushi school of their own.
Strength of My Father
Ronin are known for their resilience in the face of adversity. When you are suffering TN penalties due to Wounds, you may make an Earth Roll (ignoring Wound TN penalties) during the Reactions Stage of each Round, with a TN equal to 5 + 5x the number of Wound Ranks you are currently suffering. If the roll is successful, you may ignore the effects of your Wound penalties until the next Reactions Stage. This Technique does not work once you reach the Down or Out Wound Ranks.
Never Yield
Ronin are accustomed to being the underdogs. When you are outnumbered in a skirmish, you gain a bonus to your Armor TN equal to the amount by which the number of enemies exceeds the number of your allies. This bonus cannot exceed the total of your School Rank x2.
Bite of the Wolf
Veteran ronin are swift and deadly fighters. You may attack as a Simple Action when wielding a katana or a knife.
Twice-Cutting Spirit
As ronin become truly experienced, they become ever more deadly with many different weapons. Choose one additional melee weapon: you may attack with that weapon as a Simple Action. Once per skirmish, you may spend a Void Point on a damage roll, regardless of what weapon you are using.
Valor of the Wolf
Those ronin who survive long enough to perfect their skills become legends of the battlefield, able to endure all manner of hardship and prevail in spite of severe injuries. Choose another melee weapon: you may attack with that weapon as a Simple Action. Additionally, you may spend a Void Point to activate your R1 Technique without requiring a Earth Roll; when you activate it in this way, it lasts a number of Rounds equal to your Fire Ring.