Schools

Kitsune Shugenja [Shugenja] [CR]

The Fox Clan is located next to one of the largest forests in Rokugan, a fact that has shaped the direction of their lessons. Each Kitsune shugenja gains a love for the spirits and the tranquility of the deep forest after countless hours meditating within its borders. This connection between man and beast is encouraged and strengthened with comprehensive lessons.

The Kitsune's love for nature is evident in the abilities taught at their school. The Kitsune can connect with the wilderness and the animals that inhabit it. It is a versatile technique that can be vital to the Kitsune shugenja's duties, and few from other schools can duplicate the Fox's abilities.

  • Benefit+1Stamina
  • SkillsCalligraphy, Defense, Hunting, Medicine (Herbalism), Meditation, Spellcraft, any one High or Bugei skill
  • Honor4.50
  • OutfitRobes, Wakizashi, Knife, Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 3 koku
  • Affinity/DeficiencyEarth / Air
  • TechniqueEssence of Chikushudo - None in the Empire are closer to the ways of nature than the simple Kitsune who make the wilderness their home. You may use the Sense, Commune, and summon basic spells to affect the animal spirits of Chikushudo as well as kami (using Summon results in the appearance of a single animal spirit rather than a set amount of the elemental material). Animal spirits tend to be more direct than kami, and perceive things differently, but have just as little sense of why man does what he does. You gain a Free Raise on any non-damaging spell cast on an animal.
  • SpellsSense, Commune, Summon, 3 Earth, 2 Water, and 1 Fire

Mantis Brawler [Bushi]

For most of its history the Mantis Clan has included a strong element of disreputable piracy and black-market smuggling. Although the clan has occasionally made efforts to purge these criminals from its ranks (especially after it attained Great Clan status), they have never been fully eliminated. The various efforts to purge them have, however, ensured that their fighting techniques may be found among ronin, commoner wako (pirate gangs), and numerous smuggling cartels as well as within the clan's own ranks.

The fighting techniques of the Mantis Brawlers are even more unconventional than those of the regular Yoritomo bushi. They are born out of the violence of dirty shipboard fights and drunken bar-brawls and passed down parent to child through direct instruction (often of a rather unusual kind) rather than in a formal setting of a dojo. Some tales about this fighting form have claimed it is found in the Brotherhood of Shinsei as well, or perhaps even originated among misbehaving drunken monks and spread from there to the Mantis Clan. Whatever the case may be, this unconventional fighting style continues to prosper among Mantis and criminals alike.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Way of Drunken Fists

    The basic techniques of the Mantis brawlers are based on the need to prevail in chaotic fights on tilting ship decks... or when reeling drunk through a sake house. Brawlers are tough and slippery fighters who evade the grip of their enemies while striking them at every opportunity. If you are Prone, you do not suffer any penalties to your Armor TN or to your attacks with Small weapons (or when unarmed). You still gain the Prone Armor TN bonus against ranged attacks. Also, you gain a bonus of +1k0 to rolls made to take control of Grapples and to your damage rolls with unarmed strikes, improvised weapons, and small weapons.

  • Rank Two: Drunk Loses His Sandal

    Mantis brawlers learn to be swift and flexible fighters who attack their foes from unexpected directions, often deliberately offering the appearance of weakness in order to create openings. If you successfully perform the Feint maneuver, you may choose to reduce the extra damage from the Feint by 5 in order to add +5 to your Armor TN until the start of the next Turn; if you were Prone when you perform the Feint, you add +10 instead.

    Also, immediately after an enemy attack resolves against you (whether or not the attack hit or inflicted damage on you), you may take a Free Action to become Prone.

  • Rank Three: Drunk Never Falls

    The third lesson of the Mantis brawler is to win even when exhausted, dead drunk, or clubbed on the head. During a skirmish, you do not suffer penalties for being Fatigued or Dazed, nor do you suffer any penalties for intoxication. If you become Stunned, you may still take one Simple Action per Round.

  • Rank Four: Two Drunks Dance

    The erratic bobbing, squirming, and weaving of the Mantis brawler creates additional opportunities for him to attack his foe. You may attack as a Simple Action when fighting unarmed, with an improvised weapon, or with a small weapon.

  • Rank Five: Drunk Pounds a Door

    The final lesson of the Mantis Brawler is to strike so hard his foe never gets the chance to strike back. When making a melee attack you may spend a Void Point to deliver a fierce shattering blow; this attack gains a bonus of +4k1 to both the attack roll and the damage roll. If you are Prone, the bonus is +4k2 instead.

Moshi Shugenja [Shugenja] [CR]

The practices of the Moshi shugenja were developed over the course of many years spent in unwavering devotion to the Sun Goddess. Despite the celestial upheaval that has occurred within the Celestial Order during Rokugan's history, the Moshi have managed to retain their devotion even if the nature of their magical studies has changed somewhat. Since joining the Mantis Clan, their focus has shifted from one of pure theology to more practical concerns, and they excel at invoking the kami who hold sway over the weather. As such, the Moshi, who are far more numerous than the modest Yoritomo bloodline that maintains its own shugenja tradition, are frequently stationed aboard Yoritomo vessels in order to placate the seas during the clan's all-important mercantile voyages.

Like their Yoritomo kinsmen, the Moshi are highly adaptable. Their ability to gain an additional Affinity during the day, particularly since it is not accompanied by an additional Deficiency, allows them extreme versatility in their spell-casting choices, enough to rival even the Isawa of the Phoenix Clan.

  • Benefit+1Awareness
  • SkillsCalligraphy (Cipher), Divination, Lore: Theology, Meditation, Spellcraft: any two High or Bugei Skills
  • Honor4.50
  • OutfitRobes, Wakizashi, Knife, Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 10 koku
  • Affinity/DeficiencyAir / Earth
  • TechniqueFavor of the Sun - No family has been more reverent of the various incarnations of the Sun throughout their history, and their piety has granted them great favor with the Heavens. During the day, you gain an additional Affinity for Fire spells. This benefit is lost at night. You also gain a Free Raise on any spell with the Thunder keyword.
  • SpellsSense, Commune, Summon, 3 Air and 3 Fire spells

Tsuruchi Archer [Bushi] [CR]

Even before joining the Mantis, when they were the Wasp Clan, there was little question that the Tsuruchi were the greatest archers in the Empire. That they have so embraced this as to virtually put aside the study of the blade, however, has often caused others to look at them with great suspicion. The Tsuruchi rarely care, however; they believe in the purity of the bow, and while their sensei teach proficiency with other weapons as well, such are purely secondary concerns. The Tsuruchi Techniques are the epitome of the Rokugani philosophy of archery, which is that the arrow knows the way, and should be fired without hesitation or aiming.

The Tsuruchi Techniques focus almost exclusively on ranged combat, an area in which they are unquestionably the finest in all the Empire. while this is a considerable advantage, when pressed into melee, a Tsuruchi will be badly outclassed by virtually any other bushi School.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Always Be Ready

    The Tsuruchi Archer must be prepared to fight against his foes with little warning. You gain a bonus of +1k0 to the total of all attack rolls using a bow. Additionally, you gain a bonus of +3 to your Initiative Score.

  • Rank Two: The Arrow Knows the Way

    A Tsuruchi must not aim, but simply allow the arrow to follow its own path. You gain one Free Raise that can only be used to make the Called Shot Maneuver. Additionally, you gain a bonus of +2k0 to the total of all damage rolls while using a bow.

  • Rank Three: The Wasp's Sting

    Tsuruchi's technique teaches its students uncanny speed. You may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when using a bow.

  • Rank Four: Flight of No-Mind

    The true archer does not concern himself with the arrow, but exists only to loose it. Once per skirmish, you may spend a Void Point as a Complex Action to shoot an arrow that knows exactly where it must go. This attack ignores all effects of armor, as well as any penalties from Wound Ranks or visibility. You may make Raises but you cannot perform the Extra Attack Maneuver for this attack.

    You may not shoot a target that is further than your bow's normal range with this Technique.

  • Rank Five: Tsuruchi's Eye

    The final lesson of Tsuruchi is that there is nothing that cannot be felled by a single arrow. You may make a ranged attack as a Complex Action to gain a bonus of +4k1 to the total of both attack and damage rolls. You may not use this Technique in conjunction with Flight of No-Mind.

Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter [Bushi]

During the early days of the Tsuruchi family when they were known simply as the Wasp Clan, the vassals of Tsuruchi were well known for two things: their incredible skill at archery and their unwavering tenacity as bounty hunters. The clan was authorized by the Emerald Champion to hunt down fugitives from justice for a fee, and for many years the Wasp survived largely on the income generated by this practice. Although many samurai condemned this mercenary practice, no one could deny Tsuruchi prowess and few clan magistrates refused to employ them.

Since the Tsuruchi family joined the Mantis clan, its two iconic pursuits have separated somewhat, becoming distinct schools which young Tsuruchi may choose between depending on their aptitudes and preferences. The majority choose to pursue a career as soldiers and archers within the Mantis military (the Tsuruchi Archer School), but a select few continue the family's original tradition by becoming members of the small but famed Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter School.

Members of the Tsuruchi Bounty Hunters are usually treated as clan magistrates within the Tsuruchi provinces and often within the Mantis Clan's territory as a whole. The contract between Tsuruchi and the Emerald Champion still exists and thus the family can impart authority to a select number of students that is roughly equivalent to an Emerald Magistrate, at least insofar as the ability to apprehend known criminals. The Tsuruchi are extremly cautious in whom they trust such authority, however, since they are keenly aware the contract could be nullified if it is abused or misused.

Tsuruchi Bounty Hunters traverse the Empire in search of fugitives, those accused of crimes by superior authorities who have escaped the justice they deserve. Although they can technically only hunt those decried by an Imperial authority, the Tsuruchi also accept individual bounties from clans or families who wish their assistance. Bounties are usually a number of koku equal to the Insight Rank of the target. This fee is doubled if the target is a violent criminal or a shugenja, and may increase even further if special or unusual circumstances apply.

Techniques
  • Rank One: A Hunter's Sense

    A Tsuruchi bounty hunter is well known as a fierce and terrible opponent of all who seek to evade justice, and even those who are without guilt find them intimidating. You gain a bonus of +1k1 to any Intimidation Skill Roll used against someone of lower caste who you believe can help you find your prey. When interacting with samurai, this bonus is reduced to +1k0 but applies to all Social Skill Rolls, not just Intimidation. Also, when you are hunting a particular target, you may roll additional unkept dice equal to your School Rank or any Hunting or Investigation Skill Rolls used to track the quarry down.

  • Rank Two: No Prey Escapes

    A true master of the Tsuruchi method has an encyclopedic knowledge of criminals throughout the Empire and can use them as tools to capture his prey. You may spend a Void Point to automatically succeed at a Lore: Underworld Skill Roll to identify any criminals in an area who you might be able to press for information regarding your prey. You lose Honor as normal for associating with such individuals, however.

  • Rank Three: Justice of the Wasp

    The Tsuruchi hunters are merciless, but have a reputation for bringing their prey back alive to suffer a proper sentence for their criminal acts. When facing an opponent who has been declared guilty of a crime by an Imperial or a higher Mantis authority, you may make the Disarm or Knockdown Maneuvers for one Raise less than normal. If you successfully execute one of these Maneuvers against an opponent, that opponent is automatically Dazed.

  • Rank Four: Twin Sting Strike

    The justice of a Tsuruchi is swift and without mercy. You may make ranged attacks as a Simple Action when wielding a yumi. Additionally, if facing any target decreed guilty of a crime by an Imperial or a higher Mantis authority, you may also make melee attacks as a Simple Action when wielding a katana or any knife.

  • Rank Five: Eyes of the Wasp

    The worst truth a bounty hunter learns is that anyone can be a fugitive; thus a bounty hunter makes careful assessments of everyone he meets. When you identify a samurai using a Lore: Heraldry Skill Roll, you not only learn his Glory but also his Honor Rank and all Social and Mental Disadvantages. Also, any opponent who may be targeted by your Rank 3 Technique is now automatically Dazed if you successfully hit them with an attack, regardless of whether or not you use a Disarm or Knockdown Maneuver on them.

Yoritomo Bushi [Bushi] [CR]

The Yoritomo are masters of the sea, and as a result of centuries spent fighting from ship to ship and on the beaches, their fighting style is highly unusual. The pitching and rolling of the waves has been incorporated into their style, which uses more movement than many major Schools. Likewise the Yoritomo have learned that protracted fighting is almost always detrimental to naval combat, and they have learned to ruthlessly exploit any weakness in their opponents' defenses. Finally, the corrosive effect of sea air on steel is well known, and as a result the Mantis have centuries of experience fighting with highly unconventional weaponry, in particular the kind of weapon most often relegated to peasants.

The Yoritomo Techniques essentially focus on dabbling in a little bit of everything. They have potent attacks, unhindered movement, and can cripple an opponent's Armor TN, among other things. The Yoritomo are jacks of all trades, but master of none, making them highly adaptable assets in a skirmish.

Techniques
  • Rank One: The Way of the Mantis

    Mantis bushi learn to fight on the pitching decks of ships and to use anything within reach as a weapon. You suffer no penalties to movement or attacks for rough or uneven terrain. You do not lose Glory or Honor when using improvised weapons, or weapons with the Peasant keyword, in combat. You suffer no penalties for fighting with a Small or Medium weapon in your off-hand if that weapon has the Peasant keyword. finally, you gain a bonus of +1k0 to all attack rolls.

  • Rank Two: Voice of the Storm

    Your wild, unfettered attacks disorient your opponent and opens holes in his defenses. Every time you hit an opponent in melee, his Armor TN is reduced by 5. This penalty only applies to your attacks, and lasts for 2 Rounds. This Technique is cumulative (a number of times equal to your School Rank), and the duration resets with each application.

  • Rank Three: Strike of the Mantis

    A Yoritomo strikes as swiftly as the storm. You may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action while using weapons with the Samurai or Peasant keyword.

  • Rank Four: The Rolling Wave

    The Yoritomo Bushi reacts with the flow of combat, deftly dodging blows while reaching his target. If you move at least 5 feet, you gain a bonus of +10 to your Armor TN until your next Turn. You may sacrifice this bonus during your Turn before you roll any attack to gain two Free Raises that may only be used to perform the Knockdown Maneuver.

  • Rank Five: Hand of Osano-Wo

    The Yoritomo Bushi strikes with brutal force, digging his weapons deep into his target. You may choose to activate this Technique by spending a Void Point as a Free Action. You keep an additional number of damage dice equal to your Strength. If these attacks hit a Prone target, you gain a bonus of +0k2 to the total of your damage rolls against that target.

Yoritomo Courtier [Courtier] [CR]

Left to their own devices by an Empire that largely discounted them, the Yoritomo family refused to disappear, instead devoting their considerable resources to every possible aspect of a Clan's normal development. Understanding the impact that trained courtiers could have on their mercantile interests, the Yoritomo developed a School to serve them in that regard. Although successful in business endeavors, the Yoritomo courtiers have only rarely made strides in court, historically speaking, because of their brusque manner and dependence upon intimidation. Since their elevation to Great Clan status, however, they increased clout of Mantis possess has diminished the need for these tactics, and the Yoritomo Courtier School has begun to see more success in different political arenas.

The Yoritomo Techniques specialize in intimidation and, frankly, bullying. This makes them particularly effective when facing opponents unaccustomed to such tactics, or who are weak-willed. Unfortunately, more capable opponents such as the Crane or Scorpion may well be completely immune to a Yoritomo's primary abilities.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Duty Before Honor

    Like the Yasuki, the Mantis Courtiers are merchants as well as diplomats, and they cultivate a personal style built around intimidation rather than friendship. Furthermore, they spend much of their lives outside of the courts dealing with some of the more unsavory characters in Rokugan. You do not lose Glory or Honor for using the Commerce Skill in public, and you do not lose Honor for using the Intimidation (Control) skill. Any time you are making Social Skill Rolls against ronin, bandits, gang members, mercenaries, pirates, and other lawless types, you gain a number of Free Raises equal to your School Rank.

  • Rank Two: Storm Heart

    When the time comes to act in courts, the Yoritomo eschew the eloquent words of the Doji or the subtle gibes of the Scorpion in favor of straightforward bullying, browbeating friend and foe alike into accepting their position. When you use the Intimidation (Control) Skill, your Willpower is considered to be one Rank higher. When you use the Intimidation (Control) skill against a samurai with lower Status Rank than you, your Willpower is considered two Ranks higher instead.

  • Rank Three: Command the Winds

    The Mantis are taught to put the force of their boorish and aggressive behavior behind their words in court, making it difficult to tell whether they are lying or telling the truth. A number of times per session equal to your School rank, if you have failed a Sincerity Social Skill Roll, you may re-roll it as an Intimidation (Control) Social Skill Roll instead. You must take the result of the Intimidation roll.

  • Rank Four: Will of the Storm

    An experienced Mantis has learned to shatter and demoralize his opponents in court with his mere presence. When initiating a conversation with someone, you may make a Contested roll of your Intimidation (Control) / Willpower against his Etiquette (Courtesy) / Willpower. If you win the roll, he cannot spend any Void points against you for the next hour. Also, during that time he suffers a -3k0 penalty to all Social Rolls made against you. (This Technique cannot be used again until its effect expires.)

  • Rank Five: Strength in All Things

    At this Rank the Mantis courtier's iron willpower and threatening nature have reached perfection, allowing him to overcome all foes and to laugh in the face of threats that would make even a Hida bushi turn pale. Any time you are attempting to use the Intimidation skill against someone else, or are rolling to resist an Intimidation or Temptation Skill roll or a Fear effect, you gain a bonus of +5k0 to the roll.

Yoritomo Shugenja [Shugenja]

There are few families in the Empire as diverse and ambitious as the Yoritomo, so it is no surprise the family supports a small number of shugenja. The tradition stems back to the earliest day of the Mantis Clan. Kaimetsu-Uo, the clan's founder, had no capacity to speak to the kami, but one of his daughters did and she married a ronin who possessed the same ability. Thus began a branch of the Yoritomo family that possesses an unparalleled ability to commune with the spirits of the sea and storm.

For centuries, the small number of Yoritomo shugenja have maintained an inexplicably powerful link to the spirits of the sea and to a lesser extent the spirits of wind and storms. The Moshi have proven more capable in the latter since their induction into the clan, but no shugenja in the Empire is at home on the seas as one from the Yoritomo family. The school maintains a number of small temples throughout the Mantis islands, but none are as well known as the infamous Tempest Island, a small island renowned for the battering it receives during storm season. It is here the most powerful among the Yoritomo hone their skills and power, making themselves a force to be reckoned with throughout the whole of Rokugan.

  • Benefit+1Perception
  • SkillsAthletics, Calligraphy, Knives, Lore: Theology, Meditation, Sailing (Navigation), any 1 Skill
  • Honor4.50
  • OutfitRobes, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon, Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 10 koku
  • Affinity/DeficiencyWater / Earth
  • TechniqueChild of the Sea - The family line of the Yoritomo who possess the talent for magic have a strong bond with the sea and with weather as a whole. You may expend one spell slot to alter the wind conditions in your current location by one degree. If you also spend a Void Point, you may instead shift the entire weather status one degree. You may expend a maximum combined total of spell slots and/or Void Points equal to your School Rank each Round to enact these shifts. These shifts affect an area a number of miles equal to your School Rank in all directions from your current location. You also gain a Free Raise on all spells with the Thunder keyword.
  • SpellsSense, Commune, Summon, 3 Water spells, 2 Fire spells, and 1 Air spell