The Scorpion Clan is the Clan of Secrets, and the Scorpion Instigator strives to maintain mastery over that domain. These courtiers are given access to rigorous training designed to exploit their own weaknesses until they become strengths. The Instigator learns to control the flow of conversation so that his falsehoods can pass undetected even against the most trained investigators. His ability to mask the truth keeps his opponents unsettled and unable to perform at their best.
Requirements:
- Rings/TraitsAwareness 5 , Intelligence 5 , Perception 3
- SkillsCourtier 6, Etiquette 5, Sincerity 5, Stealth 4
- OtherAll members of the Instigators must possess at least one Dark Secret and must divulge this secret to their sensei upon joining.
Techniques
Rank One: The Depths of Dishonor
The Instigator learns to turn his own dishonor into a weapon and to use his opponent's Honor against him, subverting their beliefs. When making a Contested Social Skill roll, you gain a bonus of +Xk0, where X is the difference between your Honor Rank and that of your opponent.
Rank Two: Sheath Your Lies in Truth
An Instigator is taught to constantly reassure himself the lies he speaks are actually the truth. This causes some mild psychological discomfort, but is extremely effective on others trying to see through his lies. If anyone is trying to tell whether you are lying, you may spend a Void Point to gain a bonus of +3k3 to the Contested Social Skill roll to conceal your falsehood (instead of the normal +1k1). Note that if you use this Technique to make statements that are blatantly and obviously false ("the sky is red"), you will quickly become known as a madman.
Rank Three: Pull the String
Those who are weak and unworthy are nothing more than pawns to the Instigator. If you possess Blackmail on someone, you may spend 10 minutes conversing with them and then spend a Void Point as a Complex Action to suggest an action they should take. This also requires you to win a Contested Social Skill roll of your Courtier (Manipulation) / Awareness against their Etiquette (Courtesy) / Willpower. If you win the roll, so long as the action is not life-threatening and its consequences will not be worse than revealing the Blackmail, the target must either take the action or lose 4 points of Honor.
The saboteurs are the military elite of the Scorpion shinobi forces. While the clan's other shinobi focus on spying and assassination, the saboteurs undertake the military defense of the Scorpion lands, using every sort of tactic defense of the Scorpion lands, using every sort of tactic (including the forbidden gaijin pepper) to weaken, distract, and cripple enemy armies. Although they prefer to operate by stealth, they are more than capable of defending themselves should the need arise.
During the Clan War era, with most of the Scorpion Clan dead or scattered, the saboteurs bear the burden of protecting their lands and punishing those who occupy them. Both the Imperial Legions and the Crab invaders suffer heavily at the Saboteurs' hands.
Requirements:
- Rings/TraitsFire 4 , Reflexes 4
- SkillsCraft: Explosives 3, Stealth 5, Knives 4, Ninjutsu 4
- OtherMust be trained in one the Scorpion schools with the [Ninja] tag.
Techniques
Rank One: Follow the Pincers
The saboteur are trained to an extreme degree of focus and alertness, assuring they can slip through enemy lines and silence anyone who spots them. You gain +1k1 bonus to all Stealth rolls and suffer no Initiative penalties for being surprised, Dazed, or Fatigued.
Rank Two: No Mistakes
The saboteur specializes in using demolitions to destroy vital targets such as walls, bridges, supply dumps, and castles. When you spend a Void Point on a roll with Craft: Explosives, you gain a +2k2 bonus instead of the normal +1k1. Due to your extensive training with gaijin pepper, you suffer no ill effects from low rolls with Craft: Explosives and if the optional "fizzle" rule is in effect you are immune to it as well.
Rank Three: Seeking Weakness
The saboteurs are trained to strike at their opponents' weak points with lethal and shocking speed. When fighting with a Small weapon (melee or ranged) you may make a single attack as a Free Action each Round in addition to any other Simple Action or Complex Action attacks you might make. Also, when fighting with a Small weapon (melee or ranged), you may ignore the effects of your opponent's armor on his Armor TN and Reduction.