Inside Look

Lion Shadows
By
Kakita Seigi

Rokugan's favorite 007 is back! And while the Ikoma Spymasters have decided to change their name to the more menacing Lion's Shadow, their ability to deal with violence and intrigue in a cool and suave manner has not. The school is now a Tier 2 bushi school for 4ED, but now offers a powerful courtier/bushi hybrid to players and GMs alike.

The school overall is designed to provide a jack of all trades approach. The first two techniques have been reduced from their original incarnation, but neither are less potent in the current 4th Edition environment. But it is not until the Ikoma makes School Rank 3 that the underhanded ninja action really starts to show. By sacrificing one's honor to use subversive tactics, the Ikoma increases his ability to strike at foes in combat and in court. The latter two techniques only cement this position. An Ikoma Lion's Shadow is effective both in combat and social situations, but will likely be shown up by a dedicated bushi or courtier. To defeat each them, a savvy Ikoma will fight underhandedly and place each opponent in a situation that puts them at a maximum disadvantage just like their namesake Ancestor.

The Ikoma Lion's Shadow can also become decent duelists if played right. They don't have all the awesome techniques like the Kakita and Mirumoto Bushi, but they do have the social skills to manipulate the situation in their favor. The Rank 1 technique is probably the only technique that offers a direct bonus in a duel. However, the Rank 5 technique, if it's used before an iaijutsu duel, also gives an interesting defense to the Ikoma. Sure, the Ikoma may lose the Focus roll and his opponent may be striking first, but with a hefty penalty to their Strike roll the Ikoma's opponent may likely miss (especially if the Ikoma spends a Void Point to enhance his Armor TN). And if you have a very generous GM that lets you take Iaijutsu for your last School Skill (instead of the High or Low Skill), the Rank 2 technique will help cement you in the ranks of the dedicated duelists.

Great Advantages for the Ikoma Lion's Shadow are:
*Perceived Honor: *Sigh* Yeah, it's awesome being 007, but you're also a Lion Samurai. And living within an ultra-honorable clan, this advantage allows the Ikoma to fuel his Rank 3 without having another Lion gut you because of your occasional indiscretion (of course in the Clan's service mind you).
*Prodigy: Combined with your Rank 2, you'll be getting an awesome +2k0 bonus to help you succeed your base TNs on school skills. Not too bad at all if I may so Mr. Bond.

Inside Look

Shinjo Bushi
By
Kakita Seigi

This bad boy school is finally back by popular demand! Thus, we introduce the Shinjo Bushi as our first featured school for Emerald Empire. The Shinjo school specializes in mounted warfare like its cousin schools in the Unicorn Clan. However, this iconic school is also decidedly distinct in that a major portion of the school's techniques emulate combat skills learned by the Unicorn during their travels in the Burning Sands: parrying and riposting. This eccentric combat style can provide the Shinjo Bushi with some unique tactics to throw off their opponents. For example, perhaps one of the more subtle aspects of the Rank 4 technique is that a Shinjo Bushi can enter combat in the Defense Stance, but if attacked the Shinjo can riposte after an opponent's attack and then enter the Attack Stance. This tactic results in a Shinjo Bushi that can still utilize their first Turn to make attacks in the Attack Stance, despite already having benefited from the Defense Stance before the Shinjo's first Turn. This can be quite useful if the Shinjo Bushi is fighting faster opponents or if the Shinjo wants to wager that this tactics can result in a third attack on the first turn. The Rank 2 technique also has its perks, since the Shinjo's parry forces the Shinjo and his opponent into a Contested Agility roll. A Contested Agility roll is a fairly rare roll and it will typically strip an opponent of any combat advantages he might have garnered from his techniques or skill.

However, melee combat is not just this school's specialty. Instead, most Shinjo Bushi are skilled at horse-archery like their cousins in the Utaku Battle Maiden school. Combined with the Rank 1 technique, a Shinjo Bushi can make for an excellent marksman. And fortunately for you toxophilites out there, you also have the option of taking the Shinjo Scout path to replace the more melee-oriented Rank 2 technique. This path is also great for any Shinjo Bushi suffering from insatiable wanderlust!

Now the third major theme of the Shinjo Bushi is the Way of the Ki-Rin. Some outsiders have often mused that Shinjo Bushi tend to be very lucky in combat. But the Unicorn know better --- their cousins in the Shinjo Bushi school are "dancing with the Fortunes." You see the Unicorn Clan is quite right when they say that the Shinjo are not just being lucky. Instead, Shinjo Bushi are actually enhancing and prolonging their ability to spend Void Points, akin in many ways to a Shiba Bushi. For example, the Rank 1 Technique of the Shinjo Bushi can result in an extremely potent bonus, since the technique can potentially more-than-double the effectiveness of spending a Void Point for a +1k1 bonus. Thus, when playing a Shinjo Bushi, the optional School Skill should be chosen very carefully. Will it be the Battle Skill? Or perhaps the Stealth skill? And fortunately for the Shinjo Bushi, the Shinjo Bushi Rank 5 technique also makes it much easier to spend Void Points to fuel the Rank 1 technique.

Useful Advantages for the Shinjo Bushi are:
*Chosen By the Oracles (Void): This advantage helps improve the Shinjo's chances of making the Void Ring Roll to activate the Rank 5 technique, especially if the character is activating the technique when on foot.
*Friends of the Elements (Fire): As mentioned above, the Contested Agility Roll is pretty rare. Thus, a Shinjo Bushi can gain a notable advantage on this roll by buying this advantage.

Still here

Yes we are still here. Real life swamped me but we got two articles in the works and in a few weeks I'll be starting up previews for Great Clans. So stay tunned folks :)

Great Clans

So several things going on all at once that I'm sure folks may find intresting and good for the RPG. :)

The cover for Great Clans has been previewed.

Todd has announced that shipping for Emerald Empire has begun.

And finally Shawn has confirmed that the title of the next book will be Book of Air. Stay tuned for future developments on that.

Emerald Empire Previews - Doji Magistrate

Now I know what you're thinking, Dace is on some kind of Law and Order marathon on USA. Or was it TNT. At any rate no, that's not the reason why the second school I'm previewing is a magistrate school.

This time I wanted to talk about some of the design changes that would occur with 4th Edition and the Doji Magistrate helps to illustrate this very well. Now in the beginning the Design Team stated that not everything would come back into 4th Edition the same way it was in previous editions. Everything would be broken down and reworked and re-looked at. The Doji Magistrate is one such school.

Martial arts and good ole hand to hand combat is a favorite of L5R. It's part of that great Asian theme. Most clans have their own unique form of martial arts and the Crane are no different. The Crane practice an art called Mizu-Do.

Mizu-Do or the Way of Water was created by Crane artisans. It focused mostly on throws and joint locks. Mizu-Do's flowing form was incorporated into the Doji Magistrate school. In my opinion I think we achieved the overall goal of representing Mizu-Do in a new and interesting way for 4th Edition that players should love.

Doji Magistrate [Bushi]
The Doji family is dedicated to protecting its lands and people from all threats, an expression of the Crane Clan’s devotion to the Virtue of Compassion. Consequently, they maintain this school to teach their bushi techniques of law enforcement and peace-keeping. Although generally less famous for their
deeds, the Doji family’s magistrate tradition actually predates their more sensational counterparts in other clans by centuries. The Kitsuki family, the Soshi Magistrates, and even the Emerald Magistrates were not created until well after the Doji tradition had been in place for a very long time. In fact, it is often against the Doji that other such schools are measured, although this is not a conscious comparison.

Despite the name of the school, in actuality only a minority of its students are actually appointed as clan magistrates―students are far more likely to serve as yoriki, assisting other magistrates, or simply as guards patrolling the borders and maintaining law and order in cities and towns. Still, those who are trained in this school are often among the first to receive an appointment when a magistrate position becomes available, and it is not uncommon for many Doji to serve in the ranks of the Emerald and Jade magistrates as well.

Rank Five: The Willow in the Storm
In their final lesson, Doji Magistrates are taught to maneuver around their opponents, redirecting their energy and defeating them with their own momentum. You may spend a Void point during the Reactions stage of a skirmish Round to force anyone who attacks you on the next Round to subtract
their Air Ring from each of their dice. (Dice which explode have their final total reduced.) This technique cannot be activated or used while you are in the Full Attack stance or the Center stance.

Sample NPC

Doji Kyoko – Emerald Magistrate

Doji Kyoko holds the title of Head Emerald Magistrate in Ryoko Owari. A position that she inititally thought was a great honor to have. Over the years however Kyoko has had her doubts about the honor of the position. She sometimes wonders who she offended to get this post. When Kyoko was first assigned to Ryoko Owari she saw it as her chance to clean up the city and extend a bit of Crane influence at the same time.

As the years have gone by however Kyoko has seen enforcing the law at times as an almost futile exercise. She still does her duty, but the enthusiasm she once held for the job has died out. Between Scorpion plots, Mantis smuggling and ronin activities Kyoko has started to wonder if there is any point to having a strong Emerald Magistrate presence in the city.

But worst of all Kyoko has noticed that the job has given her gray hairs. And that won't do at all.

Despite Kyoko's misgivings about her job she has meet with success. She has sussesfully rooted out corruption with in the Emerald Magistrates office. The Merchant's District and Tear Drop Island has also seen a sharp drop in overall crime as well.

Doji Kyoko
School/Rank: Doji Magistrate 4
Air: 3
Earth: 3
Fire: 4
Water: 3
Void: 4
Glory: 4
Status: 5 (Emerald Magistrate)
Honor: 5.7

Skills: Calligraphy 2, Courtier 4, Defense 4, Etiquette (Conversation) 4, Horsemanship 2, Iaijutsu 3, Investigation (Search, Notice) 5, Jiujutsu 5, Kenjutsu 4, Knives (Jitte) 4, Polearms 4 Sincerity (Honesty) 4

Techniques: Temper Steel with Honor, Flowing Like Water, Breath of the Law, Flowing Like Air

Advantages: Clear Thinker (3), Precise Memory (3) Social Position (24)
Disadvantages: Idealistic (2)

Emerald Empire Previews - Soshi Magistrate

One of the things I enjoy playing as far as concepts go are magistrates and legionaries. While I don't get to play them as often as I like a fair number of concepts and important NPC's I design for games comes from those professions.

The magistrate is one of the more common themes to play with. It makes it easier to get multi clan parties to work together. Which brings us to today's preview. Law and Order in Rokugan were for the most part created by the Crane and the Scorpion. While the Crane take the vast majority of the credit one shouldn't forget the Scorpion's role in setting up the current legal system.

For years Scorpion players had been hoping to get a magistrate school to honor the contributions of Soshi Saibankan. A strong magistrate theme in the CCG also helped push this desire along. And now with 4th Edition it's finally here.

Soshi Magistrate [Bushi]
The Soshi magistrate school is descended from a set of techniques taught to the yoriki of Soshi Saibankan during his many years as a judge, and some rumors claim the first three techniques were invented by Saibankan himself. Whether this is true or not, the school remains the principle method the Scorpion use to educate those who must maintain order within their lands―magistrates, yoriki, city guards, and border patrols. Like many such schools, the Soshi Magistrate school teaches a mixture of armed and hand-to-hand techniques, allowing its students to suppress brawls and defeat
lethal bandits with equal skill.

Rank One: The Face of Justice
The Soshi Magistrates are trained to control their environment through a mixture of fear and force, intimidating even the most violent street gang with ease. You gain a +1k0 bonus to the Intimidation skill; when you use it against someone of lower Status Rank than yourself, the bonus is +2k0 instead. You also gain a +1k0 damage bonus with melee attacks.

Sample NPC:

Bayushi Kenzo – Imperial Legionnaire

Kenzo has risen swiftly through the ranks of the Imperial Legions. Many with in the Imperial bureaucracy feel it is only a matter of time before he is given command of his own legion. Kenzo grew up in Ryoko Owari and comes from a long line of Scorpion who served their clans as magistrates. As a youth he swiftly picked up the fine art of dueling, and a reputation for engaging in illegal duels.

As an officer in the Imperial Legions Kenzo has proven himself to be a capable if not unorthodox leader. His tactics are some what questionable by the standards of most of his contemporary officers but that's to be expected from a Scorpion.

While many attribute Kenzo's rise in the Imperial Legions to be typical Scorpion political maneuverings the real reason is far more simpler and far less sinister. Shortly after his gemmpuku Kenzo was on assignment in Lion lands where he became reacquainted with an old child hood friend, Ikoma Kotone. The two swiftly rekindled their friendship which developed into love. Kenzo was sent back to Scorpion lands but made Kotone a promise. He would do everything in his power to gain enough prestige to arrange for their marriage.

Kenzo's current command duties have placed him in charge of legion investigations. It is his job to oversee the investigation of crimes committed against the Imperial Legions. Or crimes committed by imperial legionaries.

Bayushi Kenzo
School/Rank: Soshi Magistrate 3
Air: 3
Earth: 3
Fire: 3
Water: 3
Void: 4
Infamny: 3
Status: 5 (Chui in the Imperial Legions)
Honor: 2.1

Skills: Athletics 3, Battle 3, Calligraphy (Scorpion Cypher) 3, Defense 4, Ettiquette 3. Games (Go) 2, Iaijutsu (Focus) 5, Intimidation (Control) 5, Investigation (Notice) 3, Jiujutsu 3, Kenjutsu 4, Lore: Underworld 2

Techniques: The Face of Justice, Rise to Meet the Challenge, The Magistrates Cut

Advantages: Kharmic Tie: Ikoma Kotone (3) Luck (3)Social Position (24)
Disadvantages: Infamous (Non Sanctioned Duels), True Love (Ikoma Kotone)

Infamy

Infamy
by
Dace

With added input from Rixy

A recent thread in the 4th Edition Forums made me think that having an article on Infamy may be useful. Infamy was one of those area's I took a particular interest in during the initial development phase of PT. I found the 3rd Edition to be somewhat confusing and problematic in it's implementation.

In 4th Edition Infamy is it's own separate rank. It works similar to Glory only you start gaining it for doing “bad” things. Now I define bad very loosely here. It could be better stated that it's gained for more villainous deeds. Being bad alone isn't going to gain you Infamy. For instance being dishonorable isn't going to make you Infamous. Not a lone anyway. However someone who gains a reputation for always being dishonorable is like to gain Infamy.

Thus Infamy is gained in two fashion. First by taking the disadvantage of Infamous. This turns all your starting Glory into Infamy. Secondly at any time that the GM feels that the deeds you have down will make you more well known, but in a negative light.

This is a very thin line. In many cases it will come down to how you did something. For instance winning a major battle will normally gain you Glory. However if you win the battle by being ruthless, slaughter the opposing army down to the man then gaining Infamy is more appropriate.

Things like dishonorable actions, murder and blasphemy can also gain you ranks in Infamy. Or it can cause you to simply lose Glory as people work to forget about what you did as opposed to remembering what you did. Such a choice is up to the GM and really comes down to how he wants the character remembered or forgotten.

Many of the gains on the Glory chart work equally well for gaining Infamy. It just now becomes a matter of the character being remembered in a negative light. And once a character starts gaining Infamy odds favor all future Glory gains will raise his Infamy instead of raising his Glory. After all once you start doing bad things people tend to associate those bad things with you no matter what you do.

It takes a lot of work for a character to have both Glory and Infamy. Such a character has to work very hard to make sure that people are hearing both sides of the story. Or are seeing his good actions as separate from his bad actions.

So in general a character is normally gaining one or the other.

What follows are some conditions that may make one Infamous.

Duels – If it's one thing Rokugani like it's dueling. Well maybe two or three things. While dueling is a glorious thing there are situations in which a samurai can gain a bad reputation from it. Such as

Underground dueling – Not all duels are legal. Some samurai build a reputation for dueling when they aren't sanctioned to do so by their lords. These type of duels can also include duels to the death.

Cruel Duelist – such a person is gaining a reputation for being cruel during a duel. This could be for injuring people in a duel to first blood to being brutal during duels to the death.
Dishonor – I wouldn't award Infamy for dishonor. That's already reflected in having a low honor score. However particular acts of dishonorable behavior could be enough to gain infamy.

War – War is the perfect place for a samurai to gain Infamy.

Merciless – Compassion is a virtue. Not acting with it though can mark one as a merciless opponent.

Court – Courtier's are a dangerous lot. People like Kaukatsu don't always gain a positive reputation in the courts.

Doing Something Different with Infamy

An adventurous GM may consider doing a few things different with Infamy. For example you could take Hero of the People and create a version of it for individuals who are more feared by the common folk than they are by samurai. One could call it Villain of the People.

Also much like how Glory can be situational based on region and local one could also apply it to Infamy. A character may be more well known in Phoenix lands for his acts of villainy than he is in Unicorn lands. It is also possible to award a character with temporary ranks of Infamy depending on where he is at.

Take the case of one …. Hida Sozen. Born a Dragon, joined the Crab. Reached enlightenment by punching rocks. Kills oni with his bare hands. In Crab lands (and most parts of the empire) he is a samurai to be respected. He is a brave and mighty warrior. One of the best the Crab have to offer.

But in Asahina lands he is likely known as a vile and bastardly destroyer of art. A GM would be well with in his rights to award a character like Sozen (who would normally have Glory) with ranks of Infamy for the duration of his stay in Crane lands. This would represent the negative reception such a character as Sozen would receive while visiting with Crane. This Infamy could even apply outside of Crane lands specifically to Crane characters.

This would of course create a bit more bookkeeping for the GM, but is something worth considering.

As a finally wrap up here are some characters one might consider as examples of those who would possess Infamy.

Bayushi Shoju – One of the most famous Scorpion characters to grace this game. Shoju did the impossible. He killed an Emperor and seized the throne. His goal was noble (to stop Fu Leng from being reborn) but such actions will always make a person go down in history as the lowest of the low.

Bayushi Kaukatsu – A terror in the courts. He ruled them with an iron fist and made the courts yet another instrument in the Scorpions aresonal. A man with few contemporaries (and a man that out lived them) a single word from him could end your career if not your life.

Moto Chagatai – The Unicorn Khan. An ambitious man who sought to bring prestige and respect to his clan. Defeating the Lion during the War of the Rich Frog, Chagatai sacked the imperial city, killed Lion Champion's as if they were small children and even killed a man thought to be his equal (Kaneka). His actions brought down the ruin of the Imperial court and the end of the Toturi dynasty.

Hida Sozen – While I am of the personal opinion that Sozen as a character isn't infamous Rixy in a discussion did bring up some solid points about him. A man to be feared. One of the best examples of what it means to be a Crab, despite being born a Dragon. Enlightened. Battle hardened. And a name you don't want to repeat if you want to stay in the Crane's good graces. Upon the orders of his clan champion Hida Koun and the Jade Champion Kuni Daigo, Sozen goes into Asahina lands to retrieve the much needed jade for an assault into the unforgiving wasteland. Sozen being a practical man obtains this jade the only way he knows how, over the tears of sorrow of the Crane as he destroys their artwork.

Daigotsu – Daigotsu's list of crimes against the empire included, but not limited to, killing Toturi; killing Tsudao; unleashing Fu Leng upon the heavens; sacking the first Imperial City; creating the Onisu; infiltrating the empire; and a night of assassinations that almost left the empire leaderless. The Dark Lord of the Shadowlands, he is a man not to be trifled with.