The Doji Courtier School thrives on alliances, maintaining a vast network of friends and favors. The elite order known as the Children of Doji claims absolute dominance over the Crane system of allies and favors. Each of these elite courtiers is trained to understand that nothing is beyond one’s reach- so long as one has the aid of a few dozen friends. The Children of Doji know everyone desires something and all samurai below the Emperor must bow to the will of another. Know the correct favor to offer, know the right ear in which to speak, and an entire court will dance to one’s tune. Even a war’s course can be changed by such influence with sufficient skill and artistry.
Requirements:
- Rings/TraitsAwareness 5 , Void 4
- SkillsCourtier 6, Etiquette 6, Sincerity 5, any one Perform/Artisan skill 4
- OtherHonor Rank 5.0 or higher
Techniques
Rank One: Social Butterfly
A Child of Doji makes friends like others breathe and is able to call upon them with the mere mention of a name. When making any Contested Social Skill roll, you gain a bonus of +Xk0, where X equals the number of Allies you possess in this court with a Devotion of 2 or greater (this bonus cannot exceed your Insight Rank in dice). Also, if you have at least three such Allies in this court, you may expend (lose) one of those Allies to gain the Darling of the court Advantage for the remainder of this season (spring, winter, etc).
Rank Two: All is Fair
A key skill of the Children of Doji is the ability to reach beyond the courts to control the field of battle through their political influence. A rikugunshokan who is leading his army against the Crane may suddenly find that favorable terrain has been deemed sacrosanct and the war must be fought on less advantageous ground, or that a key supply shipment has been diverted elsewhere. Conversely, an ally of the Crane may find a legion of Imperial troops arriving to aid his cause, or a duelist cutting down the opposing commander for a personal slight.
You may manipulate a neutral or friendly court to favor or oppose a military conflict happening elsewhere (you cannot, obviously, manipulate the court of your enemy). You must have at least five Allies of Devotion 2 or higher in the court, and must spend a week speaking and maneuvering in the court, after which you may make a roll of Courtier (Manipulation) / Awareness at TN 40. A successful roll awards a Free Raise on Battle Skill Rolls to the commander of the side you favor, with an additional such award granted for each Raise you make on the Courtier roll.
If your activities are being opposed by a representative of the other side in the conflict, your Courtier roll becomes a Contested Roll against that opponent. You may only influence each military campaign with this Technique once (GM’s discretion), and each Free Raise is expended once the commander uses it. If the commander does not use the Free Raises by the end of the campaign, they are lost.
Rank Three: Gild the Lily
The Crane comprehend that the easiest way to maintain a strong network of allies is to regularly offer them favor. Conversely, the best way to flex your political muscle against an obstinate enemy is the denial of favor. You may grant any of your Allies a boon, which takes the form of any Social or Material Advantage with an Experience Point value of up to your Honor Rank. (The GM may veto any Advantage that seems inappropriate.) This is done by spending an hour in court speaking with the ally, then spending a Void Point and making a Courtier (Manipulation)/Awareness roll at a TN of 20 + (5x Experience Point value of Advantage). The effects of the boon last one month.
You may use the same method to deny an enemy the effects of a Social Advantage they possess (limited to the same Experience Point cost). You converse with the court at large for an hour, then spend a Void Point and make a Contested Social Skill Roll of your Courtier (Manipulation) / Awareness versus the enemy’s Etiquette (Courtesy) / Awareness. With a success, the enemy cannot use that Advantage for one month. You may not target the same individual with this technique more than once a month.
The exact origins of the Daidoji Harriers are obscure and mysterious. The Crane established a covert training site for unconventional tactics in the ruins of Shiro Giji in the year 330, but for many generations that facility was used merely to train selected Daidoji Scouts in the more ruthless and pragmatic sort of fighting methods. However, at some point the training at Shiro Giji took on a darker and less honorable tone, focusing on the use of truly heinous methods such as sabotage and assassination. The final turning point seems to have been the decision to covertly manufacture and use gaijin pepper, whose secrets were discovered after the defeat of the gaijin in the Battle of White Stag.
The students of Shiro Giji took to calling themselves 'Harriers' to distinguish their methods from the somewhat more honorable tactics of other Daidoji Scouts. With time, the rulers of the family came to see the Harriers as a separate organization, a hand-picked band of men and women who would do anything and sacrifice any amount of their own honor for the greater good of the Crane. They carefully concealed the Harriers' existence and methods from the rest of the clan, ensuring the leadership of the Crane could maintain honor and propriety. In this way the Harriers covertly served the Crane Clan for many generations.
The organization was finally exposed during the so-called War of Silk and Steel between the Dragon and the Crane in the late twelfth century. Crane Champion Doji Domotai was outraged by the Harriers' activities and ordered the entire group disbanded, an order reluctantly obeyed by the Daidoji daimyo.
Requirements:
- OtherMust be a Daidoji and recruited for membership in the Harriers.
Techniques
Rank One: Move Like Shadows
The Harriers are taught to sacrifice their own Honor for the sake of the greater good of the Crane Clan (as they perceive it). They train to blend into the shadows and to defeat their foes with traps and ambushes. You lose only half the normal amount of Honor (rounded down) for any dishonorable actions taken on behalf of the Crane Clan. You gain a +1k1 bonus to the DR of any rural traps you create (this stacks, with the Daidoji Scout techniques, if applicable).
Rank Two: Iron Feather
The lightning reflexes of a Harrier allows him to dodge his opponent's attacks easily. When wearing light armor, ashigaru armor, or no armor, you may add your Stealth Skill Rank to your Armor TN.
Rank Three: Unforgiving Steel
The Harrier is taught to disable his foes with a single deadly strike. If you successfully attack a surprised or unaware opponent, or if an opponent takes damage fro a rural trap you created, he is Dazed in addition to any other effects of your attack. He may not attempt to recover from the Daze until after the next Reactions stage, and the TN to recover from the Daze is increased by +5.
Kakita Master Artisan [Artisan]
The most talented elite of the Kakita Masters learn secret techniques of artistic perfection passed down from the early centuries of the Empire. These methods were developed by some of the Empire's finest artists and mastering them is beyond the ability of most students at the Artisan Academy, so only the most supremely gifted are ever taught them. However, for that same reason the techniques are not limited solely to students of the Artisan Academy - any supremely talented Crane may become a Kakita Master.
At their highest pinnacle of skill the Kakita Masters can actually change reality temporarily, a phenomenon which mystifies those shugenja who have studied it. Some speculate the art is so perfect that it inspires the kami in response, but in truth no one knows how the Masters achieve these effects.
Requirements:
- Rings/TraitsAwareness 5 , Void 5
- SkillsAt least one Kakita Artisan chosen art Skill must be Rank 8 or higher.
- OtherIf you are trained as a Kakita Artisan you must have Great Potential in the Skill of one of your chosen arts. If you are not trained as a Kakita Artisan, you must be a Crane with both the Prodigy advantage and Great Potential Advantage in either Acting, an Artisan Skill, or a Perform Skill. This single skill becomes your chosen art for the purposes of this school's techniques.
Techniques
Rank One: The Master's Touch
The Master Artisan transcends the social demands of art to focus on creating works of lasting magnificence which transform those who witness them. You may attempt to create such a work or performance with a chosen art Skill roll at TN 40. A success results in a creation or performance that awes everyone who witnesses its first public appearance. You gain 5 points of Glory, +1 additional point of Glory for each Raise called on the Roll. everyone in the audience at the art's unveiling/performance gains one bonus Void Point (which can exceed their normal maximum) for the next 24 hours; if you successfully called at least 4 Raises on the roll, they gain two bonus Void Points instead. (The effects of this technique cannot stack.)
Rank Two: Mastery Unbound
At this level of skill, the Master Artisan's skills become truly legendary. You gain a bonus of +2k0 with your chosen art skill rolls. If you are trained as a Kakita Artisan you may select a third chosen art from your School Skills.
Rank Three: The Perfect Art
The final secret of the Master Artisans is a level of excellence that transcends the normal bounds of mortal capability, producing art that literally comes to life. Once per month when creating a work or performance with one of your chosen arts, you may spend 2 Void Points and then roll (chosen art) / Awareness at TN 50. With a success, the art comes to life - birds fly off a painting, the characters of a play manifest on the stage, the statue of a Fortune comes to life, and so forth.
The specific nature of the manifestation, and what action it takes after appearing, is chosen by the GM - but it will always be helpful to you, and will usually be something awe-inspiring and extraordinary. The manifestation normally lasts only a few minutes, but if you successfully call four Raises on the skill roll it will last for one hour.
The iaijutsu duel has always been the domain of the Crane Clan, and the Crane Clan's Kenshinzen are the epitome of the iaijutsu master. They are monsters of single combat, dominating their opponents with both impeccable technique and lethal aura. These warriors put their entire consciousness behind the fast draw and seek perfection of the single strike.
Requirements:
- SkillsIaijutsu 5, Lore: Bushido 4, Meditation 5
- OtherTo become a member of the Kenshinzen, you must defeat a current member of the Kenshinzen in a legal iaijutsu duel. The duel need not necessarily be to the death (and most often are not), but the candidate must win fairly.
Techniques
Rank One: Drawing the Void
The Kenshinzen remains still on the battlefield while the chaos of battle rages around him. If you are in the Center Stance, you add an additional +10 to your Armor TN.
Rank Two: Kakita's Strength
The Kenshinzen can sense the moments between heartbeats, allowing him to strike at the exact moment needed. When making an Assessment or Focus roll as part of an Iajutsu duel, your dice explode on a 9 as well as a 10.
Rank Three: A Single Moment
The Kenshinzen's will to defeat his enemy exudes out of him, paralyzing his enemies. If you make only one attack this Turn, an opponent you hit is Stunned until the beginning of your next Turn.