Schools

Kitsuki Investigator [Courtier] [CR]

Even among the Dragon, the methods and beliefs imparted at the Kitsuki School are unusual. Alone in the Empire, the Kitsuki believe in the importance of evidence, something that most others cannot comprehend. The sensei of this unusual School place tremendous emphasis on developing the family's trademark powers of observation, honing them to a razor point, so much so that those trained in its Techniques possess a nearly infallible memory, perfect recall, and an almost inhuman attention to detail. Very little escapes the eye of a trained Kitsuki investigator.

Although their primary role is as the court representatives of the Dragon, the Kitsuki Investigators obviously make excellent magistrates, and their strengths lie in a gathering information both from the environment and from other people.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Kitsuki's Method

    The Kitsuki are masters of investigation and perception, noticing the most minute and telling details with merely a glance. You gain a Free Raise on all your Investigation Skill Rolls. However, while the Kitsuki are trained for investigation and diplomacy, unlike other courtiers they do not wholly neglect the ways of the warrior. In a skirmish, you add your Perception Trait Rank to your Armor TN.

  • Rank Two: Wisdom the Wind Brings

    The Kitsuki skill at noticing small details makes it very difficult to deceive them. Anyone making a Social Skill Roll for the purpose of lying to you or otherwise deceiving you, or making a Feint or Disarm Maneuver against you in a skirmish, must add +5 to their TN for each of your Kitsuki Investigator School Ranks.

  • Rank Three: Know the Rhythm of the Heart

    The Kitsuki study a secret methodology known as Ichi Miru, or "first look," which allows them to size up another person in almost a single glance. After speaking with someone for a few moments, you can roll Investigation (Notice) / Perception against a TN of their Intelligence x 5. A success grants you a true and accurate, if simple, picture of their personality and motivations. For example, you might perceive that a boisterous ronin is actually a calculating man who is trying to put on the picture of being a rude, simple fellow.

  • Rank Four: Finding the Path

    The Kitsuki has learned the art of uncovering and tracking others' social connections and networks of alliances. By conversing with someone for a few minutes, you can make a Contested Roll of your Investigation (Interrogation) / Intelligence against their Etiquette (Courtesy) / Intelligence to identify one of their allies or enemies. Each successful Raise you make on this roll will identify another of their allies or enemies (you choose whether you learn an ally or an enemy - the GM chooses which specific person is revealed).

    This technique can be used against each specific person once per day.

  • Rank Five: The Eyes Betray the Heart

    Kitsuki's method allows its master practitioners to see through even the most practiced falsehoods and tricks. At this rank, any knowing attempt to lie to you (as opposed to unwittingly passing on false information) will almost certainly fail. You automatically make a Contested Roll of your Investigation (Interrogation) / Perception against the liar's Sincerity (Deceit) / Willpower, whether or not you suspect them of lying. Further, if you already known someone is lying to you, you gain a bonus of +5k0 on this Contested Roll, and my call Raises on the roll in an attempt to make them inadvertently give away more information than they intended (GM's choice what information they reveal).

Mirumoto Bushi [Bushi] [CR]

Famous throughout the Empire for its unique teachings, the Mirumoto Bushi School is the lone fighting style that utilizes the Niten technique, wherein a samurai wields both the katana and the wakizashi simultaneously. This is a controversial style because it flies int eh face of the traditional style used by the other clans for centuries, although Niten was actually developed at the same time as the one-sword style. In particular, the rivalry between students of the Mirumoto Bushi School and the Kakita Bushi School, the greatest advocates of Kakita's "One soul, one sword" philosophy, is heated even during times of peace. Many opponents, anticipating the reputation of the Dragon as erratic, are surprised to face the calm, implacable Mirumoto as an enemy, a mistake that has cost more than one samurai victory on the field of battle.

The Mirumoto Bushi School focuses on the mechanical benefits of wielding two weapons simultaneously, both in forgiving the penalties associated with doing so and improving the benefits. It also increases the samurai's Armor TN and grants him additional attacks at an increased rate due to the availability of his weapons.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Way of the Dragon

    Initiates of the Mirumoto Bushi School must master the basic principles of Niten, the two-sword technique founded by Mirumoto himself. When wielding a katana in your main hand and a wakizashi in your off hand, you suffer no penalties of any kind for dual wielding, and you gain a bonus of your School Rank to your Armor TN (This is cumulative with the normal bonus for wielding two weapons). Additionally, when you are targeted with a spell, you may raise or lower the TN of that spell's Spellcasting Roll by 5.

  • Rank Two: The Calm in Midst of Thunder

    In addition to their focus on the art of kenjutsu, the Mirumoto study the art of the duel as well in order to properly face their traditional opponents among the Kakita. While you assume the Center Stance, you gain a bonus to the total of your Iaijutsu rolls equal to your Kenjutsu Skill Rank.

  • Rank Three: Strong and Swift

    As the exploration of Niten continues, the student learns to overwhelm opponents with a flurry of blows while maintaining a superior defense. Attacking is a Simple Action for you while you use weapons with the Samurai keyword.

  • Rank Four: Furious Retaliation

    Once an opponent presents himself as a threat, the Mirumoto will stop at nothing to defeat him to defend the honor of the family's teachings. During the Reactions Stage of Combat, you may choose one opponent who made or attempted an attack against you this Round. During your next Turn, you gain a bonus of +3k0 to all attack rolls against that target.

  • Rank Five: Heart of the Dragon

    Masters of the Mirumoto Bushi School seem to strike from everywhere at once. If you attack twice in the same Turn while you are wielding a katana in your main hand and a wakizashi in your off hand, you may make one additional attack with your off hand as a Free Action.

Mirumoto Taoist Swordsman [Bushi] [EE]

Although the Mirumoto family are best known for following the twin-sword fighting technique pioneered by their founder (and defined most clearly in his famous book Niten), not all members of the family embrace Mirumoto's fighting techniques. The Dragon Clan's long association with the quest for enlightenment, not to mention the existence of a special monastic order right within its own ranks (the Togashi tattooed men) has given rise to other warrior traditions. The most notable of these are the Taoist Swordsmen, ascetic warriors who maintain a small dojo deep within the most inaccessible mountains of the Dragon lands. There they pursue enlightenment and swordsmanship with equal dedication, often praying and training alongside small groups of Togashi monks. Taoist swordsmen are seldom seen outside their own lands, though on rare occasions they have been known to embrace the tradition of the "Worldly Monk" and travel the Empire in search of both enlightenment and experience with the sword.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Aligned With the Elements

    Students of the Taoist Swordsman school spend their days in the rugged mountains of the Dragon lands, enduring the harsh elements with little clothing and no armor, learning the ways of the sword in complete selflessness. When wielding a sword and wearing no armor, you gain Reduction equal to your School Rank +2. Additionally, you add +1k0 to your damage with any sword.

  • Rank Two: Fist and Blade

    The Taoist Swordsmen train alongside the Togashi tattooed men, studying their unconventional methods of combat and learning to apply those methods to swordsmanship. When fighting with a sword, you may perform the Knockdown maneuver for 1 less Raise, and if you control a Grapple while holding a sword you may inflict damage with the sword instead of unarmed damage.

  • Rank Three: Strike of Harmony

    The Taoist swordsman is now so skilled with his sword that it functions like an extension of his body. While wielding a sword, you may spend a Void Point on your damage roll. If the sword is a katana, this ability stacks with the natural ability to spend a Void Point on damage with a katana.

  • Rank Four: Master of Steel

    The Taoist swordsman is now completely at one with his weapon, striking with the speed of thought itself. You may attack as a Simple Action while wielding a sword.

  • Rank Five: Balance of Nothingness

    The final lesson of the Taoist Swordsman teaches the school's student to pour their entire soul into a single deadly strike. While wielding a sword, once per skirmish you may spend as many Void Points on damage as you wish.

Tamori Shugenja [Shugenja] [CR]

Formed from the remnants of the Agasha family following their defection to the Phoenix Clan, the Tamori have inherited centuries of experimental studies conducted by their predecessors, and have embraced it just as they did. The most prominent among these unusual disciplines is the study of alchemy. The Tamori have mastered the abandoned Agasha secret of containing the essence of a spell within ritually prepared liquids, allowing them to be used later. Coupled with the martial training that Tamori shugenja receive, this is enough to make the family's secret teachings unique in all the Empire.

The Tamori Technique allows for greater versatility in the use of spells, extended so far as to allow others to use them in the Tamori's stead, if proper preparations have been made. The Technique also allows for a dramatic reduction in casting time, but again only if adequate preparation time is provided, making the Tamori particularly deadly in ambush situations.

  • Benefit+1Stamina
  • SkillsAthletics, Calligraphy (Cipher), Defense, Divination, Lore: Theology, Medicine, and Spellcraft
  • Honor4.50
  • OutfitRobes, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon, Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 5 koku
  • Affinity/DeficiencyEarth / Air
  • TechniqueFlesh of the Elements - The Tamori have learned to distill the essence of magic and contain it within concoctions or objects for later use. You may expend one spell slot to store a spell you know that has an Area of effect "one target person" or "one target creature" in a potion, to be activated later. This stored spell may be activated instantly by anyone holding the potion by expending a Simple Action to drink it or a Complex Action to throw it (depending upon the spell's target), using Athletics (Throwing) / Agility. Spells stored in this manner may be stored indefinitely, but count against your spell slots per day for each day that they continue to await activation. Creating a potion in this manner requires a number of hours equal to the stored spell's Mastery Level. You also gain a Free Raise on any spell with the Craft keyword. GMs who wish to offer more options for alchemically-inclined Tamori and Agasha characters may choose to let them create other, [[[Kagaku]]] items than merely potions, spending spell slots and making Craft: Alchemy / Intelligence rolls as appropriate.
  • SpellsSense, Commune, Summon, 3 Earth, 2 Fire, and 1 Water

The Hitomi Kikage Zumi Order [Monk] [IH]

Where the monks of the Hoshi family embrace the tsurui path of mystical power and deep contemplation, those of the kikage zumi order - especially the Hitomi - embrace violent physical action as their path to enlightenment. Kikage zumi are most prominent during the reign of Lady Hitomi, but remain a prominent element of the tattooed orders all the way to the Race for the Throne.

It should be noted that while the kikage zumi order dominates the Hitomi family, it is not exclusive to it. Violent and martial tattooed men appear from time to time for centuries before the reign of Lady Hitomi. Thus, much as with the tsurui zumi, the kikage zumi school may potentially be used in almost any era of play if the GM permits it.

Techniques
  • Rank One: The Gift of the Lady

    The tattooed men all receive the mystical blood of a good in their unique tattoos, but the warriors of the kikage zumi often manifest their tattoos spontaneously through the gifts of their divine patron. They spend less time in the house of the tattoo masters and more time in their dojo practicing the martial arts. The art of Kaze-do teaches the Kikage Zumi to move as swiftly and unpredictably as the wind, confounding their opponents. You gain 1 [[[tattoos|tattoo]]] at this rank. You may add your Reflexes to your Armor TN, and when rolling to control a Grapple you may choose to use your Reflexes instead of your Strength.

  • Rank Two: Strike the Base

    As the Kaze-do student grows more proficient, he is able to focus the power of his mind, soul, and body into punishing strikes of the hands and feet. You may spend a Void Point on damage rolls for unarmed attacks, including damage inflicted in a Grapple.

  • Rank Three: Moving the Wind

    The Kikage Zumi now strikes with the swiftness of Air itself, the true path of Kaze-do. You may attack as a Simple Action when making unarmed attacks. You gain one additional [[[tattoos|tattoo]]].

  • Rank Four: Strike the Center

    The Kikage Zumi learn to strike with speed and terrible force, while also using the swiftness of the wind to hurl their opponents to the ground. When fighting unarmed, you may perform the Knockdown maneuver for 1 less Raise, and gain a bonus of +1k1 to the total of all unarmed damage rolls (including damage inflicted with a Grapple).

  • Rank Five: Strike the Summit

    Final mastery of the ways of Kaze-do allows the tattooed man to deliver strikes and throws that deprive his enemies of Air itself. Any time you perform a Knockdown maneuver, you may call 2 additional Raises; if the Knockdown succeeds, your opponent is automatically Stunned. If you elect to throw an opponent during a Grapple you control, he must roll Earth at TN 20 or he is also Stunned. You gain 1 additional [[[tattoos|tattoo]]].

The Hoshi Tsurui Zumi Order [Monk] [IH]

The monks of the Tsurui Zumi order are a sub-group of the Togashi Tattooed Order, created in the Hidden Emperor era when Togashi Hosi rebels against Hitomi and begins tattooing his own followers. In contrast to the Togashi Ise Zumi and the Hitomi Kikage Zumi, and Tsurui Zumi are less focused on direct physical action and more on the mystical ways of the spirit; although they still study the mystical arts, their focus is on ki techniques and other such mystical fighting fighting abilities, rather than on the more straightforward combat favored by the Togashi or the brutal aggression of the Hitomi. Many Hoshi choose to eschew combat altogether in favor of meditation, contemplation, or strange and whimsical behavior which they consider important to the path of enlightenment. However, when they time comes to fight in defense of the Dragon Clan, they do so readily enough.

The Hoshi family is introduced in the Hidden Emperor era, but the Tsurui Zumi tradition predate the Tsurui Zumi tradition predates the family and continues after it is gone, so this school may be used (with a name change) in many different eras of play.

  • Benefit+1Void
  • SkillsAthletics, Defense, Etiquette, Jiujutsu, Meditation (Void Recovery), any 2 Skills
  • Honor4.50
  • TechniqueSwift Fist, Subtle Heart - The Tsurui Zumi searches for enlightenment on many different paths, but does not shy away from physical action when it is needed. You may spend a Void Point as a Free Action to activate this Technique for a number of Rounds equal to your School Rank. While this Technique is active, you may either add +1k1 to the total of your unarmed attack rolls or +1k0 to the total of your unarmed damage rolls. You choose which bonus to apply at the beginning of the Turn. You begin the game with one [[[tattoos|Tattoo]]]. You also begin the game knowing 2 Kiho. You must meet all prerequisites in order to use these Kiho. You may purchase additional Kiho normally as per the rules for a Brotherhood of Shinsei monk. At School Rank Four, you gain one additional [[[tattoos|tattoo]]].

The Togashi Tattooed Order [Monk] [CR]

The monks of the Togashi order, known as ise zumi, are the most recognizable and well known members of the Dragon Clan, due in large part to their highly unorthodox appearance. The Togashi monks embrace a strange philosophy that includes as part of its doctrine extensive tattooing of their bodies with ink crafted from diving blood of the Kami Togashi. These tattoos confer incredible, supernatural abilities that defy explanation even by the most powerful shugenja. Due to their behavior, which tends to be unusual even for a monk, the ise zumi are both revered and feared by the people of Rokugan, who never truly know what to expect from these mysterious figures.

Togashi monks specialize in unarmed combat and supernatural feats of athleticism, which a wide variety of other abilities thrown in for good measure. Generally speaking, a Togashi monk can lend support to other characters in whatever capacity is necessary, and usually bring unique abilities to the table as well.

Techniques
  • Rank One: Blood of the Kami

    The blood of the Kami is barely diluted in the ruling line of the Togashi order, and the brothers chosen to serve the Dragon as Togashi vassals receive the mystical blood of a god in the form of unique tattoos. You gain two Tattoos at this rank.

  • Rank Two: Body of Stone

    Master of the body is the first essential step of a monk's journey toward enlightenment, and martial arts are the perfect tool to bring the body and spirit into harmony. You gain a bonus of +1k1 to the total of all unarmed attack and damage rolls.

  • Rank Three: Blessing of the Kami

    As an ise zumi continues his journey of self-discovery, accumulating new experiences along the way, he will eventually be judged worth of additional insight in the form of new tattoos. You gain two additional Tattoos.

  • Rank Four: Will of Stone

    Perfect mastery of the flesh is an indication that a soul's journey is nearing its end. You may make unarmed attacks as a Simple Action rather than a Complex Action.

  • Rank Five: Touch of the Kami

    Insight into the true nature of the universe is the reward for a soul that seeks true mastery of the spirit. You gain two additional Tattoos.