Skills

Documentation is very important in Rokugan, from information on an individual's illustrious lineage to travel papers issued by magistrates, and even the official Imperial Decrees of the Emperor himself. Those with an eye for detail, a steady hand, and a distinct lack of honor can take advantage of this system by falsifying such papers, either for their own use or to sell to others.

When a forgery is created, the result of your Forgery / Agility Skill Roll should be noted. This is the TN for others to detect the forgery using an Investigation / Perception Skill Roll.

The manipulation of others through the use of threats, both stated and implied, is an oft-employed tool for those who have left their honor behind. Even bushi who are generally honorable but have a strong sense of pragmatism will occasionally abandon decorum and threaten those who refuse to cooperate. It is a shameful act, but one that many are willing to commit (and promptly forget) in order to ensure the successful completion of their duty.

The Bullying Emphasis is the simplest form of Intimidation, and involves the immediate, short-term threat of violence to get another to perform a specific act. Control, on the other hand, indicates a longer-term attempt to shape another's behavior to your will, and is often used by courtiers to manipulate lower-ranking, weaker-willed individuals. Torture, which is never a subject for polite conversation, is used by hinin working for magistrates in order to elicit confessions and information from criminals. No proper samurai will dirty his soul by torturing in person

Intimidation is usually a Contested Roll, resisted with Etiquette (Courtesy) / Willpower. The GM may require a different Skill or Trait to resist the Intimidation attempt if it seems more appropriate to the situation. Regardless, the resisting character's Honor Rank is added to the total of his roll.

Note: Mastery Abilites rank 3 and 7 are house rules and are not part of the standard 4th edition ruleset.

The dexterous manipulation of small objects for the purpose of misdirection or concealment is not looked upon favorably by most honorable samurai. The code of Bushido flatly calls for sincerity in action, word, and thought, and such parlor tricks smack of deception and dishonesty, which no honorable samurai can abide.

The Conceal Emphasis allows you to hide small objects (something that can fit in your hand) on your person, requiring a Contested Roll using Sleight of Hand / Agility against Investigation / Perception to detect it. The Escape Emphasis allows you to slip free of bonds. The TN for this varies considerably, and can be TN 15 for simple ropes or as high as TN 25 or 30 for high-grade chains or bindings, or it can be a Contested Roll against the responsible party's Sailing (Knot-work). Pick Pockets is fairly self explanatory, requiring the same manner of Contested Roll as Conceal in order to avoid detection, and Prestidigitation allows you to use the Skill to entertain or distract people by performing tricks.

Although generally a dishonorable practice, stealth has its uses in such situations as hunting or while scouting during a military engagement. For most samurai, however, these are necessary evils, and under any other circumstances, no honorable souls will ever dare disgrace themselves by sneaking about in the shadows like common criminals, or failing to face their opponents like true samurai would.

While concealed via Stealth, you may take Move Actions. When taking a Move Action while using Stealth, you may only make Simple Move Actions, and these only you to move a number of feet equal to your Water Ring (although Mastery Abilities can increase this significantly). The Ambush Emphasis allows you to make a Stealth (Ambush) / Agility roll, contested by an opponent's Investigation (Notice) / Perception, to gain an advantage over them during the first round of combat if they are unaware of your presence. The Spell Casting Emphasis allows you to make a Contested Roll against an opponent's Investigation (Notice) / Perception when casting a spell. If you win, they are unable to determine where the spell originated from. You lose no Honor for using Stealth (Sneaking), although other Emphases do usually result in Honor loss as normal.