Foreword

Slicing through hordes of zombies, his armor tattered and torn and hanging by the loosest strands, katana high overhead, face contorted in an exultant rage—this image of the samurai on the cover of the first Legend of the Five Rings book remains engraved in my memory.

Damn, that looks fun.Somewhere along the way, though, as I played both the card game and the roleplaying game,

the adventure became stale. Part of it was the increasing complexity of the RPG system, as it seemed to get as much wrong as it did right, and every time a subsequent edition fixed one gripe of mine, a new one was introduced. I kept fixing and tweaking the system to my satisfaction, my players eventually ending up with hundreds of pages of revamps and reinterpretations of all the schools, skills, etc.

The other issue was the world itself. Not only did Rokugan have to account for sometimes bizarre card tournament victories, but the foundations underlying the clan and family structures didn't really work upon reflection, and even more importantly the mental gymnastics required to explain why these samurai from such disparate origins remained together instead of slaying each other on sight was more than occasionally maddening. Sure, you could use the old Emerald Magistrate convention, but the game wasn't really designed for it. The mechanics didn't actually support this assumption, and simply declaring everyone part of a magistrate's entourage becomes a lazy technique instead of an innovation far too quickly.

So even as I monkeyed with the rules, I slowly began moving away from the Rokugan canon. I was doing “L5R Your Way” long before it became a slogan; of course, no doubt all L5R players were. I have yet to hear of a game that didn't diverge from canon once the specifics of “Who do I serve? How do these clans really interact? Who's really in charge?” began to be seriously questioned, or of a character that didn't have to break the mold extraordinarily just to take a School or Advantage they really wanted without disturbing the unity of the group. And it wasn't just because the rules were punishing you for being different, or punishing you for standing out; in Rokugan, that would be a mechanic that actually would support the culture. It was punishing you for just creating a character, and telling you that conflict was good for a game while mechanically punishing you for actually creating characters that could be in conflict.

I wanted a setting more internally consistent, something the players could engage as complex from the beginning, instead of focusing so much on shorthand stereotypes and mechanics domination by faction. If you wanted to be a great duelist, you came from the Crane Clan because they had the best dueling School. If you wanted to be from some other Clan and take that School, it required taking Advantages or Disadvantages. It cost you. This is a punishment. Whenever you have to pay points to pursue a course that someone else doesn't have to pay for, that's a punishment. If it's a punishment that is designed as a mechanic to encourage or discourage certain things, that's one thing. But it's absurd to think that other clans wouldn't want a great duelist, and wouldn't either develop their own, or better yet figure out a way to receive that training. If you were the daimyo of the clan and didn't figure out how to provide channels for the talented duelists, or for that matter cavaliers, heavy infantry, sneaky bastards, etc., within your authority to fulfill their potential for the good of the clan, you deserve to be deposed.

This, then, is an attempt to present a Legend of the Five Rings setting and system that remains consistent with itself, and works in both theory (setting) and reality (mechanics). An attempt to negotiate the space between.

And you're invited. This is strictly for fun, strictly as an exercise in rediscovering the best RPG I ever played, the one that gave me and my friends more years of continuous play and fun than any other. I want you to follow along as a different view of Legend of the Five Rings grows, to comment and refine the mechanics and world as it redevelops itself. Take whatever ideas you want to apply to your own game, and leave a few for me or someone else to incorporate. After, Legend of the Five Rings isn't mine. Or even, really, AEG's. No game truly is.

Chapter 1: You Gotta Know Your Basics

So, some observations before I start tackling the basic mechanics. Assuming you are already familiar with Legend of the Five Rings, essential rules stay the same: grab some d10's, roll, keep a few, add'em together and compare them against some number for success or failure. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. One major change, though, is about Raises. Sure, in combat what Raises can do is fairly fixed. But using them outside combat has always been iffy. You can use them for more impressive success, but what the hell does that really mean? How do you quantify it? I rarely had players make non-essential, non-combat Raises, because the idea that I "scale the wall REALLY GOOD!" just seems... not quite epic.

So, I stole an idea from Houses of the Blooded. And mechanics and concepts from Blood & Honor, Savage Worlds, 7th Sea... and other game systems I've probably forgotten. There might be some original ideas buried in there somewhere, but untangling the lineage of what's been evolving over a decade-long span is a Herculean task and, frankly, I don't think it merits the effort. Take what you like and leave the rest. Play the game. That's the highest honor you can give any designer.

Also, the arrangement. Instead of character creation first, shouldn't a game really start with the basic system outlined, so that you know how it all works together and then build your character according to what you want to accomplish? I feel terrible when a player builds a cool character, then once play begins learns that nothing does what they thought it did because they weren't grounded in the rules first. Sure, that's their responsibility to learn, but why put that somewhere in the middle of the book instead of laying it out in the front? Help your brother out.

The result is the basic rules that are independent of your character's individual statistics are covered in the first chapter, while character creation is covered in the second chapter, including all rules that are particular to your character. Until you have Skills, knowing how Skills work is kind of irrelevant. However, knowing how rolling & keeping dice works is universal regardless of whether it applies to Traits, Rings, Skills, etc. And then chapter three covers Hachigoku itself (including detailed rules on the uji, an amalgam of traditional Clan and Family concepts), with chapters four through eight covering the professions in detail (bushi, teishin, shugenja, gakusho, and ronin). The remaining chapters cover things like NPC's and stuff better left as antagonists: Shadowlands Taint, Lying Darkness, etc.

I've tried to keep true to Legend of the Five Rings, both in rules and setting. But then I've altered or chucked out a whole lot, too.

Rokugan, they say, is not Japan. Except when it is. This is Hachigoku: The Empire of Eight Kingdoms. Hachigoku is not Rokugan. Except when it is.Let's play.

Hachigoku's Roll & Keep System

Whenever a player needs to resolve a task that is vital to the adventure yet carries a significant chance of failure, dice are rolled to determine success or failure. The game exclusively uses 10-sided dice (d10's). When making a roll, the player gathers a number of dice (usually determined by a Trait, Ring, or Skill Rank), rolls, then selects which dice to “keep” (usually determined by a Trait, Ring, or School Rank). Rank is an important term; this is a numeric value attached to the Trait, Ring, Skill, etc. Most rolls will be stated as a Skill/Ring formula,

Occasionally, I have these little sidebars pop up to illustrate examples or other aspects related to the rule being described not integral.

implying you want dice equal to the Rank of each statistic, even if it doesn't explicitly read Rank. Or, a rule will simply say equal to or dependent on your Trait, Ring, Skill, etc., implying its Rank. Once the kept dice are selected, the value of each kept die is added together, plus or minus ant modifiers, and compared to the target number (TN) of the roll. If the roll meets or beats the TN, the attempt succeeds. Otherwise, it fails. Beating the TN grants you an “effect,” which typically results in standard results: the player convinces a character their telling the truth, or rolls damage dice after a successful strike, or the spell is cast.

Distinguishing between how many dice are rolled and how many are kept is commonly described as follows: the number rolled is listed first (X), followed by a “k,” and then a second number for how many kept (Y). So a typical roll is written XkY.

Usually players keep their highest die, but you don't have to. You can keep any dice you wish.

If a rolls a 10, it “explodes.” The player can roll another die, adding the two numbers generated together. A die can continue to explode, adding its totals together. The combined total is considered the total of the original exploding die.

Some rolls are considered opposed rolls. This means you and at least one other must each make a roll, usually using the same Trait, Ring, or Skill. The TN for the roll is set as the competitor's result. It is also possible that participants in an opposed roll must meet a TN set by the GM, such as to win the heart of a samurai. If neither meets or beats the TN, then both fail, even if one roll was higher than the other. If the rolls tie, victory goes to the initiating player; if the roll is a direct competition (such as the footrace example) then the result is a tie (both Hida Jo and Shiba Yo pass the finish line simultaneously).

Sometimes the rules might distinguish between a roll and an “attempted” roll or action. If a roll is to determine the success or failure of an attempted action, it's attempted (such as an attack roll). If the roll is the consequence of a previous roll, or otherwise intended to measure a reaction (such as a damage roll), then it's not an attempted roll. This is especially important as regards Wound Penalties.

A maximum of 10 dice may be rolled or kept on any given dice roll. If you should be rolling more dice than 10, each additional die over 10 is converted to a kept die. And extra kept die over your maximum of 10 gives you a Free Raise.

Group Rolls Group rolls are made when a group of characters attempts the same basic action (such as investigating, intimidating, tracking, etc.) at once in a coordinated, combined effort. That way a more talented individual covers for another’s deficiency. When making the group roll, one of the characters acts as the primary actor, using their Traits, Skills, etc. Each additional character adds a +1k0 bonus to the roll. That's it. This bonus is capped at the lowest Trait, Skill, etc. among the additional actors.

Suggested TN Difficulties

TN Difficulty Physical Mental

0 Mundane Getting out of bed. Recalling details of your sword.

“Exploding” Example: Akira rolls a 10. It explodes. He rolls another 10. It explodes. He rolls a 5. His total roll for the single die is 25.

Opposed Roll Example: Hida Jo and Shiba Yo are engaged in an intense footrace, using Athletics/Stamina. Each must make such a Skill roll; the higher roll wins.

Maximum Dice Example: For whatever reason, once Akira has added up all bonuses, Skills, etc., he is asked to make a 14k3 roll. This instead becomes a 10k7 roll. Alternatively, he must make a 15k7 roll, which becomes a 10k10 roll with 2 Free Raises.

XkY Example: Akira makes a 4k2 roll. He rolls 4 dice, keeps 2, and adds their totals before comparing the result to the TN.

TN Difficulty Physical Mental

5 Very Easy Striking an immobile target. Recognizing a friend.

10 Easy Carrying half your weight. Finding a misplaced item.

15 Average Lifting your weight over your head. Recognizing someone in disguise.

20 Moderate Diving safely from a waterfall. Finding a well-hidden object.

25 Difficult Scaling a cliff without a rope. Remembering someone's exact words.

40 Heroic Out-wrestling an ogre. Naming all your ancestors in order.

50 Legendary Shattering stone with your bare hands. Outwitting a Fortune.

RaisesSometimes you want to achieve a better than “just successful” result, perhaps even an extraordinary success. To do so, you can increase the TN of the roll by increments of +5 (some abilities may alter the increments necessary for a Raise). Each such increment is a “Raise.” Spellcasting, combat, or special ability rolls often have specific effects that can only be accomplished with Raises.

You cannot make more Raises than your Void Ring, although this may be modified by special abilities or circumstances. Those without a Void Ring may make Raises equal to their lowest Ring.

Some abilities give you Free Raises. These grant the same benefits as regular Raises, but do not actually increase the TN, nor are they limited by Rings. These can be added in addition to regular Raises for spectacular effects.

What you can do with Raises is add “bonus effects” to the success. These bonus effects might be be detailed as with the combat, spellcasting, or special ability rolls, or they can grant you narrative control. Each Raise grants one additional effect, enabling whoever makes the Raise to collaborate in creating a collective narrative beyond just their individual actions. Each effect outside of the detailed rules allows you to embellish the action, or even the entire scene, with a single fact. These facts are subject to certain conditions.

You can narrate the actions and descriptions of the Scene, objects, or even characters (including other player characters) with your Raises. Of course, these actions or descriptions must make sense within the context of the scene, adventure, and setting. Otherwise, you're inhibiting the collective enjoyment of the other players. You can be as clever as you like, but each effect can contain no conjunctions or disjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), except to combine the benefits of several Raises.

Thus, you cannot use a Raise to contradict an already established fact. In other words, you cannot use a Raise to say “No.” You can modify a fact, however, with a “Yes, and...” or “Yes, but...” You cannot simply negate another player's Raises or erase the established reality of the game in progress.

Nor can you use a Raise to replace a roll. If striking a foe with your katana requires a roll, a risk on your part, then you cannot use a Raise to simply say you hit your foe as part of some other action. At least, not to cause damage or produce some other effect (such as disarming) normally acquired

Raises Example: Akira is chasing his foe across the rooftops of Ryoko Owari, leaping across an alleyway. He must make his Athletics/Strength roll with a TN of 20. His Athletics is a 6, granting him a Free Raise, and his Strength a 5, so he rolls 6k5 + 1 Free Raise. Thinking that sounds pretty simple, he decides to make 2 Raises, making the TN 30. Rolling, he gets 1, 3, 6, 6, 9, and 10, exploding for a 2, Thus his roll total is 36, beating the TN. Thus Akira clears the distance (beating the TN), and impresses a geisha watching from a balcony (using his Free Raise), all while gaining a Void Point (converting his other two Raises).

through Raises.Additionally, you can convert unused Raises (even Free Raises) into Void Points; 1 Void Point

is replenished per two Raises, although you cannot exceed your Void Ring (unless some special ability circumvents this limit).

This is an important fact about Raises: you make them before you roll, but you don't have to decide how to spend them until after the roll.

Finally, you can use Raises to fail creatively. Think about that.

General TN Modifiers Some situations impose conditional modifiers that apply to almost all rolls.

Blinded: If blinded for any reason, you suffer a +20 TN penalty to all activities requiring sight, such as attack rolls. Your TN to be Hit is reduced to 5, as if you were unaware.

Darkness: Dim light (such as candle light) or fog imposes a +5 TN penalty to all actions that require sight, and an additional +5 TN penalty to all Perception rolls or ranged attacks. Total darkness makes you effectively blinded.

Deafened: In addition to the obvious effects of deafness (no reaction to aural stimuli), you also receive a +10 TN penalty on all opposed rolls against the Stealth Skill or to otherwise detect something with an audible component (unless it is audio only, in which case you automatically fail).

Going Without Sleep: Each day you go without sleep, you suffer a +10 TN penalty to all rolls. Every day you must make an Earth Ring roll (TN 20 x the number days without sleep) to resist falling asleep. After 3 days, your dice no longer explode. Sleeping for 8 hours + 25% of the time you were awake removes this penalty.

Suffocation: In certain circumstances, such as when underwater or trying not to inhale poisonous gases, it is necessary to hold your breath. You can go without air for a number of minutes equal to your Stamina. After this time, you lose 1 Stamina Rank per round. When you reach 0 Stamina due to suffocation, you die. If you breathe again before this time elapses (and there is fresh air to do so), you immediately gain all lost Stamina back.

Starvation: A character who goes without food for more than 48 hours suffers a +10 TN penalty to all rolls. A character who goes without food for 1 week is starving and loses 1 Stamina. The penalties are cumulative and reoccur every week. If his Stamina is reduced to 0, he dies. A character who is merely getting half the normal amount of food still loses Stamina, but the process takes twice as long and he can make an Earth Ring roll (TN 25) to resist the effect each time. A starving character who finds food will slowly recover. The TN penalty is lost as soon as he gets a decent meal. Lost Stamina recovers at a rate of 1 Rank per week, so long as the character is getting his nutritional requirements.

Dehydration: A character who goes without water for more than 24 hours loses 1 Stamina Rank. If his Stamina is reduced to 0, he dies. A character who is merely getting half the normal amount of water still loses Stamina, but the process takes twice as long and he can make an Earth Ring roll (TN 25) to resist the effect each time. A dehydrating character who finds water will slowly recover. Lost Stamina recovers at a rate of 1 Rank per day, so long as the character is getting his nutritional requirements.

Time

An important consideration for the mechanics of a game is the concept of time. How much time does it take to do a specific task, or even independent of a given task how is time measured? It is one thing to

measure time in years, then months, then days (all of which Hachigoku does), and another thing to measure it in rounds and phases.

SeasonsSo, for mechanics purposes, the largest unit of time is a Year, which in turn is composed of four Seasons. A Season is pretty much what it sounds like: a roughly three month length of time. What's important about the Season is that it's a specific time unit in which certain actions requiring a great deal of time and concentration, such as training or crafting complicated items, take place. Which Season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) is currently active can influence certain other mechanics, and the end of the Year (concurrent with the end of Winter) is a time for accounting when all the koku is taxed and the Winter Courts recount the glories of the past year. Most games are assumed to begin in Spring, but there's no strict rule against beginning in another Season instead.

Also, each Season corresponds to one of the Five Rings; Void can be theorized as symbolizing the entire Year. This is important when it comes to performing Season Actions, described much later.

The correspondences are: Spring: Water Summer: Fire Autumn: Earth Winter: Air

Why take such an extend view of your character's activities? Well, he has responsibilities to his daimyo and shinden. Even a ronin must scrape and scrounge for work to survive. None of this is particularly exciting to roleplay, yet your character lacks roots in the world, and a stake in the society, without such obligations. What matters to you, as a player, is the conflict your character encounters, the victories and defeats that make up his life. Your daimyo, your shinden, and Hachigoku in general of course do not care. What matters to them is your service, duty, and ability to stay out of trouble most of the time. Don't worry too much about what you do in terms of Season right now; that will be covered in Chapter 2.

StoryWhen you do get into trouble, that's when Stories happen. The Story is a the conflict the player characters encounter that's, well, fun. Even when it hurts. For samurai, especially when it hurts. If Story sounds like a pretentious term, feel free to think of it as an Adventure or Mission or Module. There are no hard and fast divisions. It's useful to think of a Story in Hachigoku as proceeding in three parts similar to the ritualized iaijutsu duel: Challenge, Focus, and Strike.

In the Challenge (in other games, you might call this the Hook or the Call), the characters are presented with a dilemma that requires their attention and tests their abilities (even if this is not obvious). Examples include:

Your daimyo orders you to investigate bandit attacks on some of his villages. He wants to know who's responsible, and wants them stopped.

The shinden is scheduled to receive a high ranking visitor, who is known to be hostile to their philosophy. The abbot wants you to escort them and make a good impression.

A murder has been committed in the city, and your lover was discovered standing over the body with a bloody tanto.

In the Focus, the Challenge takes on a new dimension as a wrinkle or unexpected complication occurs and puts the characters into conflict with what should be a simple matter. It's recommended that this complication spring from some intrinsic properties of the player (Disadvantages that make resolution

difficult or traditional uji and Discipline conflicts) or characters already present in the Story or foreshadowed. Completely external events could also provide the Focus, but should be appropriate. Thus, if you're investigating bandit attacks, the sudden appearance of oni would be jarring unless it was controlled by the bandits, or some force in conflict with the bandits. Examples include:

Once you arrive at the villages, you are attacked by the bandits. You quickly discover the “bandits” are ronin the peasants hired to protect themselves from the ruinous taxes of your daimyo.

You arrive at a rendezvous point to meet the visitor, who has been kidnapped by samurai from an uji he offended. It's clear their actions are in violation of law and honor, yet these samurai hand over documents indicating the victim already had the official papers to close down the shinden in his traveling pack.

After intense investigation, it becomes clear that your lover truly is the murderer, but she was blackmailed into the killing by your daimyo's enemy to disgrace the uji. Publicly shaming the enemy would require you to publicly shame and condemn your lover, too.

The Strike is the resolution of the conflict, a resolution that could end in various outcomes depending on the characters' values and views on Bushido. It is not necessarily a definitive end, as one Strike can easily lead to a new Challenge. What the Strike does essentially is represent the characters' answer to a question being posed by the Focus. Examples include:

Which is stronger, your loyalty to your daimyo (punishing the ronin and villages) or your compassion (figuring out a way to alleviate the taxes on the villages and letting the ronin go)?

Which is stronger, your need to punish dishonor (freeing the captive), or protecting the shinden at the cost of your honor (failing in your task by making the documents and witness “disappear”)?

Which is stronger, the personal loyalty to your lover (releasing her from punishment), or your desire for justice (holding her accountable to your daimyo's law and pursuing the enemy daimyo)?

Having each of these three elements (Challenge, Focus, and Strike) take up about one gaming session each tends to be effective; you can spend more or less time, certainly, or even adopt a completely different structure. It should begin and end within a single Season, although interconnected Stories can beneficially extend throughout the Seasons, eventually composing a large-scale Challenge-Focus-Strike epic. A Season should contain one or two Stories. There's no rule against doing more, but eventually people begin wondering why no harvest reports are being turned in, why you're never at your assigned guardpost, why the routine crimes under your authority are never being adjudicated, why you're chronically absent during scheduled prayers and meditation... And your players wonder if they are ever going to improve their character's attributes and abilities, since the benefits of training and Holdings usually occur at the end of the Season.

ScenePast the large-scale time segments are the segments that occur in a single session. The most basic is the Scene. The Scene is the focus on what your characters are doing now, with a coherent set of circumstances, reasonably limited time-frame, and defined location. That sounds complicated and a bit fuzzy (what defines “reasonably”?), but I trust you to adjudicate what makes sense for everybody to stay engaged in the game. In other games, we might call this an Encounter. So, a single Scene could be the characters investigating the murder scene, fighting a skirmish outside a village, reporting to the daimyo, or arranging an ambush. A change of location then could signal the end of the Scene and beginning of another (your investigation of the murder scene concluded, you move to the home of the

suspect for apprehension), or even a considerable passing of “inconsequential” time (you spend a Scene planning and arranging an ambush, then spend hours waiting until the target arrives triggering a brand new Scene). A Scene becomes a useful measure of time to regulate effects and abilities that do not (or rather do not need to) function in set increments like minutes or hours. Actions can be taken in Scenes, but if another Action is taken in response (anything that might be construed as a Complex Action under the Skirmish rules) the game has moved from the Scene into an even more precise segment: Rounds & Phases.

Rounds & PhasesA Round is a unit of time measuring activities requiring swiftness and certainty, usually combat-related. A single Round is dived up into 10 Phases each, with a Phase being only an arbitrary tracking of Action order. Exactly how much real time a Round takes up is fluid; it may only take the traditional 6-second period most games take for granted, or it may take significantly longer, depending on what's happening. Generally speaking a Round should never be considered longer than a minute, and fierce combat is considerably shorter. The most honest answer is that Rounds, like Scenes, move at the speed of the plot, nor exclude extraneous action. While during a Round you might roll only a single attack roll, there are assumed to be other lunges, feints, dodges, footwork, etc. The Actions are the ones that matter, the ones that might succeed. Actions are, in short, opportunities. Your character does not simply stand there stock-still waiting for the right moment to wiggle a finger.

A Battle, it should be noted, can change the scale of Scenes and Rounds.

Dueling

Dueling over matters of honor, be it regarding justice, vengeance, bravery, or renown of skill, is a common occurrence in Hachigoku. The Dueling rules, it should be emphasized, reflect a variety of highly ritualized, culturally specific methods of competition. They do not necessarily reflect every duel. When two bushi square off, weapons drawn, ready to duel over a point of honor, this is no less legal or honorable than the revered iaijutsu duel described here, yet it follows the regular combat rules of Skirmishes, and not Dueling. Furthermore, except in the case of the Shiken and Correspondence, duels are always between two individuals. Any interference from outside these two disturbs the focus and purity of the duel, and play continues using whatever normal rules (combat, Skill, etc.) are required. A duel that happens in the middle of a battle, for instance, is almost never going to be an iaijutsu duel.

The Dueling rules consider each duel to be divided into three general elements: Judgment, where evaluations of your opponent occur; Focusing, where an internal gathering of power shifts back and forth between you and your opponent; and the Strike, the moment of truth.

The Dueling rules cover these specific kinds of combat: the Iaijutsu (one-strike duel), the Sumai (sumai duel), the Taryu-jiai (shugenja duel), the Shiken (artistic duel), and Correspondence (the duel of letters).

Oh, and Romance. In Hachigoku, Romance is a duel as deadly as any other.

IaijutsuWhen two duelists agree to an iaijutsu duel, each squares off against the other, wielding only katana.

The Dueling rules for each variety may sound repetitive. The point is you should be able to look up each kind of duel as an independent unit, in case of questions during play, and be able to quickly adjudicate any conflicts, instead of hunting through the entire section for every dependent element.

Each katana is sheathed, the saya positioned for swift, deadly draw. One strike can mean victory. If the duel is one of skill, then the bout ends after a single strike. If the duel is to the first blood, then the duel ends after the first Wound is inflicted, and a regular skirmish ensues if neither strike successfully with their Iaijutsu rolls. The same rule applies if the duel is to the death.

Judgment: Each duelist makes an Iaijutsu/Awareness roll (TN 10). Success allows you to know one fact about your opponent. You can make Raises on this roll, each Raise granting you an additional known fact. Facts possible include:

Opponent's Iaijutsu Skill. Opponent's Void Ring. Opponent's Agility Trait. Opponent's Strength Trait. Opponent's Insight Rank. Opponent's current Wound Penalties.

After this roll, either opponent may declare the other the winner. It is not cowardly; recognizing another's superiority without bloodshed is an honorable act. If the duel was to the first blood, the loser often gives themselves a Wound by their own katana. If the duel was to the death, seppuku by the loser would be called for. If both duelists disengage, the duel is over. If an opponent chooses not to disengage when the other has declared them victor already, it is considered a dishonorable act. If the duel continues, it's time to Focus.

Focus: The duelist with the highest Awareness roll in Judgment decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with a TN of 5. The chosen duelist decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other duelist has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one duelist calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.

Strike: When the duelist calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Iaijutsu/Agility (TN 5 + Focuses). If unsuccessful, or the opponent is still conscious and able to strike, the other duelist has their opportunity, making the same roll with the same TN, except figured removing the last Focus (which usually just means -5, but special abilities may alter that number). If this strike is also unsuccessful, or the duel is to the death, the duel may continue as a Skirmish.

If successful, roll for damage as normal, with a +Xk0 bonus, where X is the total number of Focuses. You can also make additional Raises for additional damage as normal, or for other effects. For instance, you could make 3 Raises for narrative embellishment: “I strike for no damage, but I slice the strings of his cotton pants, and they fall down.” Even if you do damage, you don't have to keep the highest dice, of course. This may be important to remember if the opponent is, say, your daimyo's heir.

Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate.

SumaiSumai is an ancient art in Hachigoku, one where two competitors pit their strength and resiliency against each other. While this usually is a ritualized sport popular throughout the Empire, it does see occasional use between those who feel a duel of brute force is necessary to settle a matter of honor. Two duelists involved in a sumai bout are called sumatori.

Judgment: A circle is constructed, either on raised tatami mats with straw boundaries or simply drawn in the dirt, and usually measures 15' in diameter. This is the dohyou, where all true sumai bouts take place. A monk or shugenja is asked to officiate, although a shugenja is preferred. Each sumatori may make a Theology/Awareness roll (TN 15), calling on the aid of the kami and praying to banish any oni, gaki, or kansen nearby. The sumatori who succeeds with a higher roll than his opponent gains the Luck Advantage until the end of the bout. If both sumatori succeed on the roll, the circle and its immediate area acts as if the spell Evil Ward had been cast on it for no Raises. This effect lasts until one of three things occurs: the end of the bout, the death of one of the sumatori, or any one other than the two sumatori or the official enters the ring. These preliminaries can be dispensed with if the two sumatori are engaging in an impromptu duel.

The officiating priest announces the beginning of the bout. Each sumatori rolls their Awareness TN 10. Success allows the sumatori to know one fact about his opponent, and Raises can be made to know an additional fact about his opponent per Raise. Facts include:

Opponent's Sumai Skill. Opponent's Void Ring. Opponent's Strength Trait. Opponent's Reflexes Trait. Opponent's Insight Rank. Opponent's current Wound Penalties.

At this point, one sumatori may realize clear superiority of the other, and bow out of the bout by stepping outside of the ring. Doing so is not seen as dishonorable, since avoiding unnecessary violence is commendable. The other sumatori is then considered the de facto victor.

Focus: Assuming both continue with the bout, the sumatori with the highest Awareness roll decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with a TN of 5. The chosen sumatori decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN to raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other sumatori has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one sumatori calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring Rank, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.

Strike: When the sumatori calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Sumai/Strength (TN 5 + Focuses). If successful his opponent is thrown or pushed out of the sumai ring. If unsuccessful, the sumatori who called for the Strike can make a Sumai/Reflexes roll with the same TN; success on this roll means he has dodged the charge and counterpushed his opponent out of the ring.

With either a successful attack or counterpush, damage is rolled as normal for barehanded damage, +Xk0, where X is the number of Focuses. Since most sumai bouts are for competition, it is considered dishonorable to intentionally inflict grievous harm upon your opponent, but not necessarily illegal. You lose 1 Honor Point every time you keep the highest damage die in sumai competition. If you kill an opponent on purpose in a bout, you are banned from official competition for life.

If both the initial attack and counterpush are unsuccessful, the match becomes a standard Skirmish combat using the Sumai Skill. Any moves other than the four Basic Forms of sumai are considered illegal and will disqualify the offending sumatori, though only the officiating priest may

make that call.Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate.

Taryu-jiaiThe taryu-jiai is a ritual developed by shugenja over the centuries to test their magical might against each other. Each duelist draws on the energy of the kami in a raw torrent of power, then trying to visualize and channel the magic in a single strike against the opponent. Such duels can involve kami of different elements, or a single element, depending on the challenge. It is not just a matter of summoning and hurling raw energy, however. The shugenja must exhibit control over the energy, usually by sculpting the strike into the shape of a weapon, monster, or other form. One legendary duel involved a Kuni shugenja dropping a glowing mountain on a prideful Kitsu shugenja.

Before the duel begins, each shugenja must declare which element they will be using. They may use the same or different elements, depending on the nature of the challenge. All rolls made during the duel involve the Mental Trait of the appropriate element.

Very rare duels involving Void as an element do occur, although such rarely manifest any visual evidence except Wounds.

Judgment: Each duelist makes a Spellcraft/Awareness roll (TN 10). Success allows you to know one fact about your opponent. You can make Raises on this roll, each Raise granting you an additional known fact. Facts possible include:

Opponent's Spellcraft Skill. Opponent's Void Ring. Opponent's Trait (whichever Trait is involved in the duel). Opponent's Insight Rank. Opponent's current Wound Penalties.

After this roll, either opponent may declare the other the winner. It is not cowardly; to recognize another's superiority without bloodshed is an honorable act. If the duel was to the first blood, the loser often gives themselves a Wound. If the duel was to the death, seppuku by the loser would be called for. If both duelists disengage, the duel is over. If an opponent chooses not to disengage when the other has declared them victor already, it is considered a dishonorable act. If the duel continues, it's time to Focus.

Focus: The shugenja with the highest Awareness roll in Judgment decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, appropriate element-linked Mental Trait, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with a TN of 5. The chosen duelist decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other duelist has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one duelist calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to the element's Ring you are using, +1 Focus if its your Affinity, -1 Focus if its your Deficiency, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.

Strike: When the duelist calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Spellcraft/Mental Trait (TN 5 + Focuses). If unsuccessful, or the opponent is still conscious and able to strike, the other duelist has their opportunity, making the same roll with the same TN, except figured removing the last Focus (which usually just means -5, but special abilities may alter that number). If this strike is also unsuccessful, or the duel is to the death, the duel may continue, skipping

Judgment and moving straight to Focus.If successful, you can describe the Strike, imbuing it with bonus effects equal to the number of

Focuses. Also, you inflict Wounds. The damage roll breaks down as follows: Ring Rank of Element (X): +Xk0 Number of Focuses (X): +Xk0 Insight Rank (X): +0kX Affinity in use: +0k1 Deficiency in use: -0k1

Any abilities that grant you bonuses to spellcasting rolls involving certain elements apply to both your Specllcraft and damage roll as appropriate. Additionally, you can still make more Raises on your Spellcraft roll for either bonus effects or increased damage, as normal.

If your Spellcraft roll is unsuccessful, you suffer a backlash of magical energy as the kami punish you for usurping control over them with pure willpower. Roll XkX, where X is the number of Focuses you claimed in your Spellcraft roll, for damage to yourself.

Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate.

The ShikenWhile accusations of dishonor or tests of skill often result in violence, during social functions teishin and artists frequently engage in competitions known as Shiken to settle disputes. While the Shiken may usually be a duel for glory and honor, those for blood or death are not unheard of. To lose such a duel and refuse to submit to death is incredibly dishonorable. Particularly loyal yojimbo often submit to the same punishment as well, reasoning that their charge's honor is their own.

Judgment: These contests are usually involve the Artisan, Performance, Games, or Oratory Skills. Whichever Skill is called for, both parties agree to use the same. The Skill used must be a High Skill, so using Emphases that require Low Skill treatment (like Seduction) is unacceptable at court. Like other duels, the contests are against two individuals, although rarely two groups can be involved instead. This usually occurs in the case of competing playwrights producing competing dramas. Since the immediate results of such duels are inherently subjective, a panel of judges is appointed. Tradition usually requires a triumvirate of neutral parties, but the ultimate decider is whatever daimyo rules the court where the Shiken happens. Unlike in other duels, there is no judging of another's Skill before the duel begins, although it might be wise to figure out their Glory before hand.

Focus: The duelist with the highest Awareness decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Skill, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with TN 5. The chosen duelist decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN for both opponents raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other duelist has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one duelist calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.

Strike: When the duelist calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Skill/Awareness, since this is as much about impressing the judges as it is displaying technique. The TN is equal to 5 + Focuses. If unsuccessful, the other duelist need not make a roll; his skills are obviously superior. If the roll is successful, the other duelist must make the same roll with an equal TN. The higher of the two roll totals is the victor in the duel. The victor can embellish their effort with

bonus effects equal to the number of Focuses, just as if they were normal Raises. The loser can do the same, but only gains half the number of bonus effects, rounded up. A duelist who fails the roll entirely gains no bonus effects.

Of course, sometimes the judges have other agendas in mind, and the winner is the result of politics rather than skill. Judging in such a manner is an Act of Dishonor, however, even if the decisions are binding.

Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate.

CorrespondenceA correspondence duel, or a duel of letters as it is sometimes called, is an honored tradition in court. Openly arguing one's point or case in front of your daimyo is one thing—openly defying another in court is quite another. When samurai find themselves at odds in court, and in need of persuading third parties of an argument rather than simply satisfying justice and honor between them as individuals, open debate is out of the question. Inevitably, you would be contradicting a superior, or insulting your daimyo by implying he was not wise enough to heed proper counsel. It also implies a lack of subtlety, cleverness, and courtesy in the questioner.

A courtly tradition has evolved to circumvent these constraints. What in other cultures would be conducted with rhetoric and oral debates is instead channeled into finely crafted letters passed between correspondents. The art of using imagery to imply intent rather than stating it outright is highly praised, as it allows both parties an opportunity to save face if required.

Judgment: Either writer may engage the other in the duel. This requires no outside permission; on the contrary, the entire purpose of the duel of letters is engage in an otherwise outlandish activity in an honorable, unguarded moment. Each writer must make a Politics/Intelligence roll (TN 15) to establish the initial worth of their argument and judge the worth of the other's; Raises may be made for bonus effects as usual, including learning certain facts about the opponent. Each Raise allows the writer to know one of the following additional facts:

Opponent's Oratory Skill Rank. Opponent's Awareness Skill Rank. Opponent's Void Ring Rank. Opponent's Glory Rank.

Focus: Unlike most duels which happen quickly or within a defined timeframe, the duel of letters takes place over an extended scene as the correspondence of the two writers flows back and forth. Optionally, the initiating writer could even spend a Season Action to represent a duel of letters being engaged over the course of an entire Season. It's ramifications and rolls in this case do not take place until the Harvest phase.

Furthermore, the duel may not stay limited to just two participants. Letters written at court are hardly private. They are almost never sealed, and nearly anyone can stop a servant in the halls to read what they bear. In fact, it's expected. Letters communicate the writer's wit and guile to everyone; they do not communicate secrets. Such public disagreements become disseminated while appearing private. These other readers can choose to join in the duel, on one side or another. When doing so, the appropriate writer's roll becomes a Group roll, with themselves as the lead. No writer can have more additional proponents than their Glory Rank; while a slew of other writers may begin exchanging letters, only a few are going to be important, articulate, or invested enough to influence the course of the duel, or to be benefited or harmed by their engagement. The regular restriction concerning Group rolls applies as well; eloquent and intelligent allies mixed with those whose ability is less spectacular could drive down the potential benefits of aid. It's the risk taken in a correspondence duel.

The duel's TN begins at 5. After the initial exchange of letters and judgment, the writer with the highest Politics/Intelligence roll decided who Focuses or Strikes first. Each Focus raises the TN by +5, representing another letter carefully written, sent, and circulated, elaborating the writer's stance and arguments. Then the opponent has the option to Focus or Strike. After both writers have Focused, any other writer may join the duel, supporting one side or the other. Unlike the two primary writers, they cannot choose to Strike; they may only Focus, and only once before the opportunity to Focus or Strike returns to the initial writer. If both writers again choose to Focus, other writers can again choose to engage in the duel.

Focusing continues until one of the writers declares a Strike. No writer can Focus more times than he has Void Ring Ranks, although they can spend Void Points to Focus additional times (this cannot be done if using a Season Action to conduct the duel). Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.

Strike: When a writer chooses to Strike, both writers must make Oratory/Awareness rolls. If other writers have joined in, these may be Group rolls. The TN of the roll is 5 + Focuses (from all writers involved). Each writer may also gain a +Xk0 bonus to their rolls, where X is their Glory Rank.

The writer who succeeds against the TN and has the highest roll wins the debate. He gains Honor and Glory Points as normal for winning a duel; those who supported his side with Focuses likewise earn the same amount Glory Points. The writer with the lowest roll loses the appropriate amount of Honor and Glory points for losing a duel; those who Focused on their behalf also lose the same amount of Glory Points. If both writers failed against the TN, they are both considered to have lost the duel. All Honor and Glory Point losses apply, and the original decision stands, or the matter is considered inconsequential. In either case, bringing it up again this Season would be an Act of Vice.

RomanceLove among samurai can be a perilous affair. Yet it occurs with disturbing frequency, as it exemplifies the virtues of Courtesy, Compassion, and even Courage. Samurai worth their honor cannot allow themselves to fear such a glorious passion as love, of course. Anymore than they can resist any other kind of opportunity for honor or glory, any other kind of duel. Thus, Romance becomes a competition where every lover is a fierce duelist.

Even if Romance invariably leads to Doom.

One Romance: You can only have one Romance active at a time, unless some ability says otherwise. And that's Romance, not marriage. Do not assume that in Hachigoku marriage, concubinage, or Romance are at all the same thing. You can certainly have a Romance with your spouse, but that's not necessarily so by any means.

Judgment: Romance begins with a flirtation, a test of wits meant to assess both the interest and worth of both parties. By engaging in some flirtatious banter, or even attempting an impressive use of a High Skill or Bugei Skill, one lover makes an advance. The other chooses whether to express interest and make their own advance. If they don't, that's the end of the Romance. It never gets off the ground. If they do, both lovers make an Awareness roll. The one with the highest roll can decide who Focuses first. If there's a tie, compare Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order.

Focus: Now that both lovers are interested, one lover (chosen by the winner of the Awareness roll) must choose to Focus. Each Focus represents an escalating flirtation, a back and forth game of teasing, endearments, poetry, compliments, small gifts. Feel free to get creative. This need not happen in a moment, but can actually extend the length of a Story before a lover calls a Strike, but no longer. The Romance TN begins at 5. If Focusing, the Romance TN raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter

the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other lover has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one lover calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the Romance TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring Rank, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.

Strike: When a lover calls for a Strike, the other lover makes a Sincerity/Awareness roll (TN 5 + Focuses). It's important to note that the Seduction Emphasis has no role here; such a seduction is a transactional affair, and has no place in starting a true Romance. If this roll fails, the Striking lover has their opportunity to make the roll with the same TN, except removing the last Focus (which usually just means -5, but special abilities may alter that number). If both lovers fail the roll, the Romance never begins. The interest may exist, but the chemistry is all wrong. Neither party may again attempt to initiate a Romance with the other until the Insight Ranks of both parties change.

The Favor: If either lover succeeds on their roll, the Romance has begun. The first lover to succeed holds the Favor. The Romance has become almost a skirmish between lovers, as each proves their love and garners a reward in turn. The lover holding Favor issues a challenge, tasks that begin as small things and progress: compliments, honorable favors (lessons, permissions, gifts, etc.), dangerous favors (dueling challenges, quests, etc.). The most passionate lovers may even request dishonorable favors. Assassinations. Poison. Betrayal. All for love.

Each time a lover completes a challenge, they gain the Favor in the form a reward. Like the challenges, the reward progresses from small things to more grand or intimate gestures: a smile, a compliment, a gift, a touch on the sleeve, a touch, a caress, a kiss, more...

The Romance Advantage: The Romance sparks, flames, peaks, then fades into ashes over time. The cycle of exchanging the Favor is integral to the life of the Romance, and the Romances strength is measured as an Advantage with Ranks (just like Traits or Skills); both lovers gain a single Romance Advantage, shared between them. The Romance Advantage has a pair of Ranks: Actual and Potential. The Potential Rank is the maximum strength of the Advantage, equal to the number of Focuses made during the duel. The Actual strength begins equal to the lowest Awareness Rank between the two lovers. As each Season passes, the Actual Rank increases by 1 Rank, as long as Favor has been exchanged. If Favor has not been exchanged at least once during the Season, the Actual Rank decreases by 1 Rank. While it is assumed Favor should be exchanged during a Story, a lover can spend a Season Action to determine the exchange occurs sometime during the Season, outside the Story. If the Favor is still exchanged during a Story after spending a Season Action, this merely means that an additional exchange has happened, but the Actual Rank does not increase by 2 Ranks, just the normal 1 Rank.

Once the Romance reaches its Potential maximum, its Actual Rank begins to fade at the rate of 1 Rank per Season, despite the ongoing exchange of Favors. If Favor fails to be exchanged, the Romance loses 2 Ranks that Season. Once a Romance reaches 0 Actual Ranks, it is finished and done. The ashes of Romance hold no power.

The Romance Advantage grants the lovers certain benefits: Favor's Champion: Whenever the lover makes a roll directly involved in answering a challenge

issued by their love, they can spend a Void Point to gain a +XkX bonus to the roll, where X is the Actual Rank of the Romance.

Heart's Knowledge: Whenever the lover makes a roll directly for or against their lover (such as defending or attacking them), they can spend a Void Point to gain a +XkX bonus to the roll, where X is the Actual Rank of the Romance.

Lover's Leap: Whenever their love is in sight and is about to suffer Wounds (but before damage

is rolled, if necessary), the lover can spend a Void Point to push their way through the Scene to come to the defense. They take the Wounds on themselves, in full. Nothing stands in the lover's way. Not samurai. Not monsters, nor Fortunes. Nothing. Not even Honor.

The End of Romance: A Romance can end before it's time. There are two honorable ways to end a Romance: a lover can complete a challenge and ask for no Favor, signaling the Romance's end, or a lover can gain the Favor and then decline to issue a new challenge, signaling they lost interest in the Romance. At the end of the Season, the Romance Advantage vanishes.

There are, of course, other ways to end the Romance. Dangerous ways. Dishonorable ways. A lover could fail to complete a challenge, and earn a lover's scorn instead of forgiveness, or a lover could refuse Favor after a challenge's completion. Either of these could because of a whim or as revenge against some wrong. Or, a lover could invoke their love's Doom.

At any time during the Romance, the lover can shout “Doom!” whenever their love makes a roll. Whatever the result, it fails. Utterly. Spectacularly. If it's an opposed roll, the other highest roller gains the effect of Raises equal to the Romance's Potential Rank. The Romance is over.

If a Romance ends with in a dishonorable way, the Romance Advantage becomes the Heartbroken Disadvantage for the lover wronged, and the Heartbreaker Disadvantage for the vengeful lover.

The Heartbroken Disadvantage has Ranks equal to the original Romance's Potential. Every Season it loses a Rank as the heart's wound slowly heals, vanishing when it reaches 0 Ranks. While active, whenever the lover's heartbreak is present or mentioned by name the lover suffers a -Xk0 to all rolls for attempting actions. This lasts for the rest of the Scene, but can be negated for the entire Scene by spending a Void Point. In addition, the heartbreak can spend a Void Point to gain a +XkX bonus when making a roll directly against the lover (as in not being for the lover's benefit). In either case, X is equal to the Disadvantage's Rank. The lover can opt to spend a Season Action and replace the Disadvantage with the Lost Love Disadvantage permanently as they work through the pain and lessen the loss into a long, stable ache.

The Heartbreaker Disadvantage has no Ranks. Anyone making a roll involving a Romance with the heartbreaker gains a +2k2 dice. This includes during Judgment and Focusing, as well as when invoking the benefits of the Romance Advantage. All the benefits. Also, the heartbreaker's Glory becomes Infamy at the end of the Season as awareness of their indiscretion spreads through Hachigoku's courts.

The Glory of Romance: Does Romance gain the lovers Glory and Honor? Not directly. Engaging in Romance does grant Honor and Glory gains as usual for a duel in terms of challenges and victory, but not in terms of Favor. However, the activities that result from chasing and giving Favor often do produce Glory and Honor. Or more often cost Glory and Honor as duty to the Romance and duty to one's superior conflict. Because of the potential danger of Romance interfering with a samurai's duty, public revelation of the Romance loses each lover Honor and Glory Points equal to the Romance's Potential Rank. Yet, the temptation to announce one's passion is strong, and living in denial would be discourteous and cruel to the Romance. Thus, samurai often attempt to reveal their love through obscure comments or poems that are performed publicly to announce their involvement in a Romance, but veil the name of their lover. Doing so successfully is an Act of Virtue.

Liaison: Romance for samurai, it should be stressed, is not usually marriage. It is not usually sanctified, but merely tolerated. Up to a point. By the definition, adultery is engaging in activity that could produce an illegitimate heir. Until that line is crossed, Romance is relatively harmless as far as most samurai are concerned.

Most.

But once that line is crossed, it ceases being a Romance and becomes a Liaison. The Romance becomes a danger to a marriage. And thus a danger to your daimyo as marriage contracts stand in breach, or perhaps vows of celibacy have been violated. Most samurai understand this and end a Romance before it goes too far.

Most.Others will risk anything to keep the passion alive. The Romance Advantage is replaced with

the Liaison Advantage, if the Romance has reached its Potential already. There is only so much satisfaction to be gained from flirtation. The Liaison functions as a Romance for all intents and purposes—including ending it—except its Rank no longer decreases regardless of Favor or Seasons. As long as both lovers spend a Season Action and acquire a separate Shelter for their trysts, the Liaison continues to exist at its maximum potential. If this condition isn't met, the Liaison once again fades into being a Romance.

Just so we're clear: Sex. The two lovers are having sex. If this bothers your samurai, don't get involved in a Romance. Good luck with that.

Of course, being discovered in a Liaison is dangerous. So dangerous, it's definitely considered an Act of Vice if discovered. So dangerous, it could mean a duel of honor. A duel to the death. From the lover's spouse. From their family. From their daimyo.

Think of the children.

Skirmish

Dueling usually concerns two individuals; even its variants involving more competitors still depend on two primary actors. Often, though, competition and combat erupts between two or more individuals in ways that cannot be handled by the Dueling rules. A Skirmish breaks out. Typically this implies combat occurring during the Scene, but it doesn't preclude non-combat activity. Non-combat activity taking place without the pressures of combat, however, does not usually require bringing in the time management of being in a Skirmish. If it does, then treat the situation as a Skirmish.

There is a limit to a Skirmish, however. If fifty or more individuals are involved, the Skirmish becomes a Battle instead. Then you need to refer to the Battle rules.

InitiativeAt the start of each Skirmish round, you roll dice equal to your Void Ring, plus any additional bonus dice. These are Action Dice, and they DO NOT explode and you DO NOT add them together. The numbers shown on the Action Dice are the Phases in which you will be able to act. If you roll the same number on multiple Action Dice, you will be able to act more than once in that Phase.

Next, the GM will begin to count up from Phase 1, until he reaches Phase 10. When he calls a Phase in which you are able to act, you may do one of 2 things with each Action Die showing the current Phase:

Spend the Action Die in order to perform an Action. Spent Action Dice are gone, and no longer affect play.

Leave the Action Die where it is, making it a Held Action. Once you’ve held an Action, it remains on the table, and is considered to match any later Phase called. The Action Die itself, however, does not change, which is important when figuring an Initiative Total.

When the GM reaches Phase 10, everyone must use their remaining Action Dice or lose them. Once all Action Dice are spent or forfeited, the round is over, a new round begins, and the process is repeated.

If more than one character wishes to act in the same Phase, each adds up all his remaining

Action Dice (including the one he wants to spend, but not any Action Dice that have been spent; they’re long gone). This total is his Initiative Total. The character with the highest Initiative Total can act first. If there is a tie, the character with the highest Air Ring goes first. If there is still a tie, both act simultaneously.

If you really, really need an Action now (such as to defend yourself) but have no Action Dice in the current Phase nor any Held Actions, you can use an Interrupt Action. You exchange any 2 Action Dice showing a later Phase for 1 Action Die showing the current Phase. You must declare your intention to use an Interrupt Action at the beginning of the Phase, before anyone else has acted, and must still compare Initiative Totals. You can declare an Interrupt Action for an Active Defense, however, even after the beginning of the Phase and regardless of Initiative Total. You cannot use an Interrupt Action to make an attack.

Ambushes: Given sufficient time (at the GM’s discretion), you can set up an ambush using the Stealth Skill (see the Stealth Skill for more information). Detecting an ambush uses an opposed Investigation/Perception roll, just as if you had tried to sneak up on someone using Stealth. Setting up an ambush must occur outside a normal combat round; once you are in a combat round, you must use Stealth (Sneaking) to catch a foe unawares. Those who fail to detect an ambush suffer from a surprise round once it is triggered.

When an ambush is triggered: A skirmish ensues. The first round is a “surprise round.” Only those who detected the ambush or who are one of the

ambushers can roll for Initiative and take Actions. Those “ambushed,” while unable to take Actions, are not “unaware,” meaning their TN to be

Hit does not lower to 5 automatically. Those ambushed can still spend a Void Point to take an Action as normal, although it must still

be a non-attack Action as normal.

ActionsWhen you spend an Action Die, you can move, perform a simple action, a complex action, cast a spell, attack, use a Full Attack, use a Full Defense, or use an Active Defense.

Move: You can normally move a distance equal to your Water Ring x 5’ per Action, or twice that if you’re running. You can perform a simple action on your Action and still move, but not run. If mounted, you use the mount’s Water Ring to determine distance, and can move and perform an attack or cast a spell as well, as long as the mount is not galloping. If you are prone, you can move to stand up, spending your Action, or even crawl at half your normal speed. Climbing or otherwise moving up a height level (usually measured at 10’ intervals) also costs an Action. You can drop down more than one level in an Action, but will take falling damage doing so. Falling has a DR of XkX, where X equals every 10

Simple Action: Simple actions are just that: simple. Anything that can be performed with no risk or Skill roll is a simple action. This includes drawing or sheathing a weapon, falling to the ground, taking out or putting away a spell scroll, opening a door, tossing an item to a nearby comrade, etc.

Complex Action: A complex action is one that requires a Skill roll or otherwise requires care and precision. Sending a signal using your tessen across the battlefield is a complex action, because it

Falling has a DR (Damage Rating) of XkX, where X is equal to every 10' fallen (round down). Thus, a fall of 30' has DR 3k3.

requires a Battle Skill roll. Picking up a fragile glass statue and putting it in your pack is also complex action; it requires no roll (unless the GM is feeling REALLY sadistic), but does require a certain level of attention.

Cast a Spell: This is covered fully under the Spells section of Chapter 6: Shugenja. Usually, it takes a number of Actions equal to the Mastery Level of the spell to cast it successfully, although Raises can reduce this time. Any use of an Action Die before the completion of the spell wastes any Actions already spent casting it, even Held or Interrupt Actions.

Attack: You can make an attack against an enemy. You may attack once per Action, unless a Technique or other ability gives you more attacks per Action. Reloading a ranged weapon, as long as it is light (like a bow or a sling) can be combined with the attack itself, although it would normally be a simple action. When making an attack, you roll your Skill (usually a Bujutsu Skill)/Trait (usually Agility for melee attacks or Reflexes for ranged attacks) against the opponent’s TN to be Hit. You can use a variety of maneuvers when making an attack, described further on. When making damage rolls, each weapon has a Damage Rating (DR). You add your Strength in unkept dice to the DR when rolling damage for melee weapons. When making ranged attacks with a bow, you add your Strength or the bow’s Strength (whichever is lower) in unkept dice to the DR of the arrow being used. If making an unarmed attack, the DR is 0k1, and you add your Strength in unkept dice.

Full Attack: You attack your enemy with full abandon, caring little for your own safety. You can attack as normal, and gain 3 Free Raises, which can only be used for increased damage, on all melee attack rolls until your next Action. Until then, all opponents gain 3 Free Raises on their attack rolls against you as well, to spend however they wish.

Full Defense: You dedicate yourself to doing nothing but defending yourself. You use the Defense Skill to increase your TN to be Hit until your next Action. For more information, see the Defense Skill in the Skills section. If you can move without losing your Full Defense bonus, you can move and perform a Full Defense on the same Action, but not run.

Active Defense: While Full Defense is an ongoing concern, an Active Defense is an emergency action for when the opponent otherwise would have hit you. First, you spend an Action Die showing this Phase (you can use Held or Interrupt Actions as well). Then you make a contested roll to dodge the attack, using his attack roll as an opposing roll. You use your Defense (Dodge)/Reflexes (although Okuden, weapons, other Skills, etc. may allow you to use different Skill/Trait rolls). If you are successful, the attack fails. If you fail, the attack succeeds and the opponent rolls damage as normal. This is usually only usable against melee attacks, but some abilities may allow it to be used against ranged attacks. You can also attempt an Active Defense when prone, although you then suffer a +20 TN penalty. You can use a variety of maneuvers when making an Active Defense, described further on.

Attack Maneuvers Generally speaking, there are a variety of different maneuvers and effects you can accomplish during a Skirmish simply by making Raises and using Bonus Effects to take narrative control of the situation. However, the limitation that a Bonus Effect cannot replace a roll still stands. Some spectacular effects (maneuvers) do require rolls; assume anything else can be accomplished with Bonus Effects, at the GM's discretion.

Beheading: The Highlander maneuver. You must make 4 Raises specifically for this maneuver and use an appropriate weapon. You cannot use Free Raises for a Beheading. If you hit successfully, you must

deal damage equal to the opponent’s Earth Ring x 6 to take off his head. This is an instant kill. If the opponent has an Okuden or other ability that lets him act when Out, Down, or Dead, he can still use it, his body flailing about in a last ditch effort for vengeance, unless you did enough damage to kill him normally. He cannot, however, spend a Void Point for a Final Strike.

Blind Shot: When making a ranged attack, you can attempt to fire at an opponent you cannot see. You must have a general idea that the opponent is out there (you swear you just saw him a moment ago, heard the trees on that side of the river rustle, etc.), then make 3 Raises on your attack roll and exceed his (Agility + Insight Rank) x 5. If successful, you have gauged his approximate position and struck him. He still benefits from any cover, however, so if he is completely concealed, such as behind a wall, he is still safe from the attack, although quickly considering a swift career change...

Charge: By making 1 Raise, you can combine your attack with a move, but you must move only in a straight line, and your movement ends after your attack. If you are mounted, the mount can continue to finish his movement after the attack.

Cover Shot: When making a ranged attack, you normally lose any cover you benefiting from until your next Action. By making a Raise per level of cover (1 Raise for Slight, 2 for Partial, etc; see Cover under Defense Maneuvers), you can pop out of your cover, attack, and return to your cover. Even if your attack fails, you still regain the benefit of your cover.

Defeat Multiple Yowamushi: When attacking Yowamushi, you can defeat additional Yowamushi per Raise with a single roll, as long as they are within range. So if 6 Yowamushi were attacking you, you could make 2 Raises on your attack roll, defeating 3 of them if you succeed. If you fail, you hit none. When you make this attack with a ranged weapon, it is assumed you have fired in rapid succession, faster than mere Yowamushi could react to, even if it is only a single attack roll. You must have an enough ammunition to do so, however, so if you were making Raises to defeat 3 Yowamushi, you would have to have at least 3 arrows on hand; otherwise, you could not attempt the maneuver. See the Yowamushi section of the Skirmish rules for more.

Entangle: If you have the appropriate weapon (see the Equipment section in Chapter 2: Character Creation) you can make an Entangle attempt. You make an attack roll with at least 1 Raise against your opponent. If successful, you inflict no damage, but the target is entangled, as the weapon’s rope, chain, or leather wraps around him. He has a +5 TN penalty to all physical actions per Raise you made for Entanglement, and must spend an Action to free himself with either a Strength of Sleight of Hand/Agility roll. The TN for the roll is 15, plus Raises equal to your Raise for Entanglement.

Feint: You can make a quick, non-damaging melee attack against an opponent to throw him off-guard. Instead of using your Agility to make your attack roll, use your Intelligence. If your attack is successful, you deal no damage, but do gain Free Raises on your next attack roll against that opponent, as long as you attack before he does. Those Free Raises are equal to the number of Raises for the Feint you make on this attack roll. This maneuver can be used with an Interrupt Action.

Increased Damage: You can declare a Raise on your attack roll to increase the resulting damage roll. Each such Raise grants you a +1k0 bonus to your subsequent damage roll. You can make as many Raises as possible for such an effect.

Knockdown: You can attempt to force your opponent to the ground as you attack. Instead of using your Agility to make your attack roll, use your Strength. If your attack is successful, you deal damage as

normal, and the opponent is knocked prone. As an Active Defense, the opponent can attempt a Strength roll (TN 5 x your Strength) to resist being knocked prone, but still suffers the damage.

Stun: You can make 2 Raises to strike your opponent with the hilt or butt of your melee weapon, or barehanded. If successful, the weapon’s DR is only 0k1 for this attack, but the opponent is considered unaware (TN to be Hit is 5) until his next Action.

TN to be Hit When someone attacks you, whether or not they succeed in damaging you (or however the attack is made), your first line of defense is your TN to be Hit. Usually, this is equal to your Reflexes x 5, plus any modifiers based on armor, cover, Okuden, or other special abilities and situations. These modifiers may give you a bonus to your TN to be Hit either at certain times, most of the time, or “at all times.”

Armor Bonus: Depending upon your armor, you receive a bonus to your TN to be Hit most of the time. For more information on armor, see the Equipment section. A quick rundown on the armor:

Ashigaru Armor: Grants a +3 TN bonus. Light Armor: Grants a +5 TN bonus, but you suffer a +5 TN penalty to all Athletics and Stealth

Skill rolls. Heavy Armor: Grants a +10 TN bonus, but you suffer a +5 TN penalty to all Skill rolls

involving Agility or Reflexes. Riding Armor: Grants a +8 TN bonus, and is considered heavy armor for the purposes of

Techniques or other such abilities. You suffer a +5 TN penalty to all Skill rolls involving Agility or Reflexes if not mounted, and the TN bonus increases to +13 when mounted.

Fine Quality: Any armor of Fine quality gains an additional +2 TN bonus.

Cover: You may be able to grab some cover when under fire or even when fighting in melee combat, using the terrain to you advantage. While using the cover, the bonus applies at all times.

Cover Type Example TN to be Hit BonusSlight Other people close by, bushes +5Partial Large creature nearby, bamboo stalks, low wall +10Substantial Partially submerged, trench, trees +15Total High wall, building, completely submerged Attack fails

Unaware or Immobilized: If for some reason you are unaware of an attack or otherwise immobilized (including prone), your TN to be Hit is reduced to just 5. You still receive any armor bonuses and cover bonuses, but you do not receive any other bonuses unless they specifically say you gain the TN to be Hit bonus “at all times.”

Defense ManeuversAs with the Attack Maneuvers, Raises for Bonus Effects can provide narrative control over the use of Full Defense or Active Defense. However, the limitations remain regarding the following Defense Maneuvers and situations.

Overriding Skills: Certain Skills override the Defense Skill when used for an Active Defense, depending on the situation.

Situation Skill Used to DefendMay be used at any time, unless overruled by another Skill DefenseMay be used when parrying with the appropriate weapon Bojutsu, Chisaijutsu, Himitsuheiki,

Nofujutsu, YarijutsuMay be used when being fired at by a ranged attack Defense (Yadomejutsu)Must be used when climbing, swimming, or on uneven terrain AthleticsMust be used when riding an animal Bajutsu

Counterspell: See the Spellcraft Skill in the Skills section. If successful, you have canceled the spell being cast.

Disarm: If an opponent has just missed you (whether because of just your TN to be Hit, an Active Defense, or whatever) with a melee attack, you can spend an Action to attempt to disarm him of his weapon. You make a Bujutsu or Karate Skill/Agility melee roll against his Bujutsu Skill/Strength. If he is using a small weapon (wakizashi-size or smaller), you gain a Free Raise. If the weapon is being held two-handed, you must make 2 Raises. If you are attempting the maneuver barehanded, you must make 2 Raises. If successful, the weapon is pulled from his grasp. For 2 additional Raises, you end up with the weapon in your hand if you have a free hand to hold it. This is an Active Defense roll, not an attack roll.

Dive!: You cannot normally dodge ranged attacks. You can quickly grab some cover, though. If any available cover is nearby, you can attempt an Active Defense by making an opposed Defense (Cover)/Reflexes roll against the attack roll. If successful, you have not negated the attack roll but have succeeded in getting under some degree of cover, immediately adding the TN bonus from the cover to your TN to be Hit against the attack roll. There must be some cover obviously around for you to attempt this maneuver (you don’t just conjure up a tree out of thin air) and you must be able to move (it doesn’t cost you an additional Action to simply move for this, but you can’t be otherwise immobilized), although complete cover, such as from a high wall, will negate the attack completely. In certain situations, such as a duel in a field of bamboo trees, you may be able to use cover against melee attacks as well.

Guard: You can attempt to interpose yourself with an attack meant for another if you are within melee combat range of the target. You must make a Defense (Guard)/Agility roll as an Active Defense against the attacker’s roll. If your roll succeeds, the attacker's roll is applied against your TN to be Hit instead of the original target's. If you fail, you are the new target of his attack, and his attack roll hits you if it would otherwise hit your TN to be Hit. Yes, you can make an additional Active Defense against this attack. But if you fail your roll to guard, the attacker's roll is applied against the original target's TN as normal.

Parry: If you have an appropriate weapon (see the Equipment section of Chapter 2: Character Creation), you can attempt to parry the attack, using an appropriate Bujutsu Skill/Reflexes roll.

Hand-to-Hand Combat Maneuvers Although most Hachigoku samurai believe more in Honor and steel than flesh, there are others, especially among those denied weapons, who prefer to use barehanded attacks and defenses. Engaging in combat hand-to-hand (that is, without weapons) follows the normal rules for a Skirmish, with some modifications. Skills that typify or focus on hand-to-hand combat are collectively known as Karate Skills.

Sweeps, Throws, & Grapples: Several different styles use grappling and throwing techniques. When you are making escape or landing rolls against throws, grappling, and sweeping, you can substitute your Karate Skill for any Skill rolls involved in escaping harm, if your Skill teaches the basic forms of Grappling, Sweeping, or Throws as Emphases.

Basic Forms: Hand-to-hand martial arts in Hachigoku tend to share certain similarities, as there are only so many ways to punch, kick, throw, or grab. Almost all such styles use a mixture of fundamental attacks called “basic forms,” which are listed in their description. If the Karate Skill has the basic form listed as an Emphasis, you can use the Skill to perform the maneuver. The basic forms are:

Block: You can use your Karate Skill to defend against other unarmed attacks or possibly even other weapons. Using your Skill as an Active Defense, roll Skill/Agility vs. the opponent’s hand-to-hand attack roll. You either block the attack with an arm or leg, absorbing the blow according to your training, or even push away the attacking the limb so its passes harmlessly by. You can do the same against melee weapons with 2 Raises (by advancing in close and deflecting the wielder’s arm). Any polearm requires 4 Raises, as you focus on the haft of the weapon, its great reach keeping the wielder out of range. Chain and other entangling weapons cannot be blocked, and neither can ranged weapons.

Grapple: You attempt to take hold of and immobilize your opponent by making a Karate Skill/Agility roll against the target's Agility x 5 (+ any modifiers to his TN to be Hit). If successful, the target is caught in a grapple. His considered immobilized. Your TN to be Hit depends upon whether you choose to make it a Full Grapple or a Partial Grapple. A Full Grapple requires a Full Attack action and immobilizes both your legs and arms, throwing both of you to the ground and making your TN to be Hit the same as the target's. A Partial Grapple does not require the Full Attack action (although you may choose to do so anyway) and immobilizes either the target's arms or legs, although it will still control his movement. This will not diminish your TN to be Hit. Once the grapple is successful, the attack has a DR of 0k1, and does the same amount of Wounds at the beginning of each round thereafter. To escape, the target must spend an Action to make an Athletics/Strength or Agility roll against your Skill x 5. If the target succeeds, he is free. Otherwise, he remains immobilized. You can release an opponent at any time from your hold.

Headbutt: This is a rare attack form, and is usually reserved for close combat situations, especially when locked in a grapple. If in a grappling situation, the TN to hit the your target is 5 (armor bonus only apply if a helmet is being worn), and the target must make an opposed Earth roll against the total Wounds suffered from the attack, with failure meaning his grip is lost. The attack has a DR of 0k1, plus Raises as normal, but also has a separate DR of 1k1 against yourself, as both of you suffer Wounds.

Kick: This is a somewhat more powerful attack form, but requires you to make 2 Raises when making the attack roll. Your legs must be free, and the attack has a DR of 0k2.

Punch: This is the most basic attack form, and has no modifiers. Your arms must be free, and the attack has a DR of 0k1. Any Karate Skill attack is considered a punch unless declared otherwise.

Sweep: You attempt to knock down your opponent by kicking his legs out from underneath him. This works the same as the Knockdown Attack Maneuver, except Strength is replaced with Agility for both your roll and the opponent's.

Throwing: You attempt to throw your opponent through the air. You make a Karate Skill/Agility roll against the target's Agility x 5 (+ any modifiers to his TN to be Hit). If successful, the target is thrown up to your Strength x 3' in any direction. The target must then make an

Athletics/Agility roll with a TN of your Skill x 5 + 5 per Raise made during the attack. If he succeeds, he takes no damage and is not prone. If he fails, he takes damage with a DR of 0k1 and is prone.

Miscellaneous Combat Modifiers During a Skirmish certain factors may provide certain bonuses and penalties as well.

Higher Ground: When attacking an opponent from higher ground (including mounted), you gain a +1k0 to your attack roll. When attacking an opponent who has higher ground, you suffer a -1k0 penalty to your attack roll.

Off-hand Fighting: You suffer a -0k1 TN penalty to all actions using your off-hand (usually your left hand, although it can be your right). The Ambidexterity Advantage negates this penalty.

Range Penalties: When using ranged weapons, the distance between you and your target affects your attack roll.

Range Attack Roll Penalty50’ or less None51’ – 100’ -1k0101’ – 150’ -2k0151’ – 200’ -3k0201’ – 250’ -4k0251’ + Another -1k0 per additional 50’, if still in range at all

Uneven Terrain: When fighting an opponent on uneven or even unfamiliar terrain (a bog, a jagged cliff, a ship in rough seas, etc.) you suffer a TN penalty, varying from +5 to +15 (GM’s determination) to all Agility or Reflex involved rolls.

YowamushiNot every NPC is the focus of a story or adventure. They don’t need names, motivations, or depth of character. They just need orders, and to give the PC’s something to fight. These random opponents (usually warriors or monsters, but not always) are called “Yowamushi.”

Yowamushi typically come in groups of six, since its hard for more than six people to attack a single person at once. They do not attack in quite the same way as most characters do in the game, nor do they take damage the same way. Since they appear often in large groups, they use a much more streamlined version of the rules.

Each Yowamushi has a Threat Rating (TR) from 1 to 5. All Rings and Traits are considered equal to the Threat Rating for the purposes of mechanics (although a lone Yowamushi, once promoted to official NPC, may actually have higher or lower Rings and Traits). Also, when the Yowamushi make a combat roll, they act as a group, making one roll for all of them. They roll dice equal to their number, and keep dice equal to their TR. A Yowamushi could be made more powerful by simply increasing the TR by 1 over their normal specimens. Such Yowamushi would be “experienced.”

Some Yowamushi have Skills, especially samurai Yowamushi. These Skills work differently

Example Yowamushi TR’s: TR 1: Peasant mob,

peasant levy, zombies TR 2: Ashigaru

soldiers, Rank 1 samurai, goblins

TR 3: Rank 2 samurai, Goju assassins

TR 4: Rank 3 samurai, most elite units

TR 5: Rank 4 samurai, minor oni

than those of normal characters. Instead of rolling Skill/Trait, the Yowamushi add dice to their roll when using the Skill equal to their TR, no matter how many Yowamushi are acting in concert.

When rolling for Initiative in a Skirmish, only a single roll is made for each type of Yowamushi present. Since their Void Ring is equal to their TR, they roll their TR for Initiative. Yowamushi cannot use Interrupt Actions, although they can collectively Hold their Actions.

When the Yowamushi hits an opponent, they roll damage as per the usual weapon being wielded. If multiple weapons of sufficiently different DR’s are used, use the average DR (round down, minimum 0k1). Instead of Strength, Yowamushi add the number of Yowamushi to the dice rolled for damage. They may be Yowamushi, but they’re not to be laughed at.

Yowamushi also have a TN to be Hit. Their TN to be Hit is equal to their (TR + 1) x 5, so a Yowamushi (TR 3) has a TN to be Hit of 20. Each hit automatically incapacitates or kills a Yowamushi (your choice), depending on the weapon used; no damage needs to be rolled. A successful attack defeats 1 Yowamushi, although Raises can be made to defeat more.

Finally, Yowamushi can also aid you. When acting in concert, the Yowamushi gives you a bonus to any attack roll totals equal to their TR. If the Yowamushi has the Skill in use, you can add their TR x 2 to your roll total instead. You gain the bonus for each Yowamushi aiding him, but cannot benefit from more Yowamushi than your Void Ring.

Special QualitiesSome, usually supernatural creatures, have special abilities that give them certain benefits.

Carapace: Some can shrug off powerful blows, making them more dangerous than they would normally be. This can be because of a thick hide, intense training, or some other supernatural ability.

Carapace is scaled from 1 to 10, indicating how hard he is to harm. This is its Carapace Rating (CR). Whenever someone with a CR is dealt damage, the attacker’s damage roll suffers a penalty of –Xk0, where X is the creature’s CR. The attacker still rolls a minimum of 1 die for damage.

Some materials or weapons may bypass the CR entirely, depending on the creature or ability.

Fear: Even in a land as a fantastic as Hachigoku, not everyone can be prepared for every bizarre encounter. The Fear mechanic represents the effect of something that could cease a character to hesitate, or even paralyze him. Fear is usually created by creatures, although some magical effects and other techniques can create this extreme level of psychological trauma. A situation or encounter itself may produce Fear, at the GM’s discretion, but only in the most horrific situations (such as walking in on a cannibalistic ritual).

Fear effects are scaled from 1 to 10. When encountering a Fear effect, the character may choose to run, although that is generally dishonorable. If he chooses to confront the source, he must make a Willpower roll, adding his Honor Rank to each die rolled. The TN of the roll is equal to the Fear x 5. If he succeeds, he can act normally. If he fails, he suffers a –Xk0 to all Skill rolls, where X is the Fear rating, and he cannot spend any Void Points against the source (including gaining an Action to attack the foe, as well as similar effects).

Invulnerability: Invulnerability denotes resistance to damage, beyond simple Carapace. Creatures with Invulnerability take no damage from normal sources, although they are still subject to other effects of

Example: An Experienced Ronin Yowamushi would be TR 3, with Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, and Hunting as Skills. And probably wear light armor. Thus, a full Yowamushi group of six would roll 9k3 when attacking with a katana, roll 6k2 for damage, and have a TN to be Hit of 25. The single Yowamushi would roll 4k3 and 1k2, but still have a 25 TN to be Hit.

being struck, such as throwing or Knockdown. By default, those with this ability are still vulnerable to weapons of magic spells, blessed weapons, nemuranai, and the like. Some may be vulnerable to jade or crystal as well, or other sources, noted in their descriptions.

Battle

When combat occurs between two, we call it a Duel. When it happens between more than two, it becomes a Skirmish. But at some point, attempting to adjudicate combat between too many actors becomes a tedious chore. Oh, look, your samurai chopped down the tenth Yowamushi. Don't worry; only 145 more to go!

At this point, before thrilling combat degenerates into tedious score-keeping, a Skirmish becomes a Battle. How do you know when to apply the Battle Rules versus the Skirmish Rules? Simple: when there are 50 or more combatants. Why 50? The typical group of player characters will compose a wa, and a wa at its typical maximum will have seven samurai (like the Seven Thunders) with a maximum of six Yowamushi attacking each wa member. Thus, forty-two Yowamushi against seven samurai remains a simple enough Skirmish to still adjudicate with forty-nine actors. Add one more, and it's an actor left standing around with nothing much to do until someone falls in battle. Which is neither fun nor realistic, frankly. And yes, this glosses over a lot of other possibilities of how Yowamushi and other characters can interact, yet 50 remains a fairly good cut-off point between Skirmishes and Battles.

The point of these Battle rules is twofold. First, to simplify mass combat in terms of both times and mechanics, yet also to keep one's sense of agency and fun. Secondly, to provide a way to manage a battle between opposing forces of any size. Battle rules should be able to portray conflicts ranging fights between magistrates and bandits, to those between vast armies.

So, we know the first criteria: Fifty combatants. After this, there are several steps to take: Know Your Force Know Your Terrain Know Your Advantage Know Your Wave Know Your Casualties

Your ForceThe first thing to determine is how many forces the Battle is dealing with. Typically, this will be two forces: the player-characters versus whoever is opposing them. However, this need not be the case. There may be three, four, or even more forces involved, each with its own agendas and ideas concerning victory. Even all the wa members may not stay in the same force. There may be loyalties or agendas that conflict with their fellow wa members, in which case it's perfectly fine, and interesting, for them to choose to be in another's force, or even commanding their own. It could also represent that a much greater, grander campaign is being waged all about your samurai, but your independent unit is embroiled in a smaller battle in the midst of the chaos.

You could even be a force all by yourself, a force of one. This is a very dangerous and deadly option, but it could be necessary.

So decide which force you're in. Then choose a commander for

Forces of Shadowlands monsters and creatures cannot combine with those who are not Shadowlands creatures or Lost. Maho-tsukai and individuals with the Taint, but not Lost, likewise cannot be joined in such forces. Nonhuman creatures can only be included in a force with humans if sentient or trained.

the force. Preferably, this ought to be a player-character. While someone in a force may be appointed by an outside agent (such as a daimyo) to lead the force, they may be incompetent and wisely allow someone else to be the actual commander in terms of Battle mechanics. Or they may not. If you wish to wrest command of the force from this appointed leader, it is certainly an Act of Vice. But it also may save the force from destruction.

If a commander is killed or unconscious during the Wave or after taking Wounds at the end of the Wave, then the force loses all Advantage. A new commander can arise or be chosen and continue the Battle, but they will have to establish their own Advantage as if the Battle were occurring in the midst of a Scene (which essentially is what happening). So no new Divination, Politics, or Oratory rolls for the next Wave. Just a Battle roll.

If no commander takes charge, the force is considered immediately defeated and can no longer participate in the Battle. It is up to opposing forces to either capture or allow the escape of the force.

Know Your TerrainThe next order of business is to determine what kind of terrain dominates the battlefield. There are five kinds of terrain: Accessible, Suspended, Stalemated, Constricted, or Precipitous. Each terrain provides bonuses and penalties to a force.

Accessible: Accessible terrain is easily passable by all forces, a feature typified by essentially flat plains and other even ground. This would include courtyards, otherwise empty plazas, or any other territory open and spacious. No force gains a significant benefit over the other as advancing is a simple matter; however, there are no significant penalties to any force either.

The openness of the terrain allows for less restriction of movement. A commander targeting someone in their force for a Battle Action is not limited to targeting that individual only once.

Constricted: Constricted terrain bottles up forces into narrow passages and ground bordered by difficult heights. Examples include valleys, rocky badlands, snaking caverns, and crowded city streets. In such terrain it is vital to occupy its extent and maintain your hold.

Whichever force wins the opposed Battle/Water roll for Advantage gains a bonus to their Advantage equal to their Water; they have managed to permeate the battlefield with their force, gaining a firm upper hand.

Precipitous: Precipitous terrain is dangerous territory containing violent changes in elevation. Twisting mountain passes, bridges, city walls, rooftops, and any combat aboard ship (except within the vessel) qualifies as precipitous terrain.

Whichever force wins the opposed Battle/Water roll for Advantage gains a bonus to their Advantage equal to their Earth; they have managed to take the highest ground, making them hazardous to dislodge.

Stalemated: Stalemated terrain offers no immediate advantage to any force, and limited movement; the only proper course is to withdraw until the enemy offers you an opening. Then your force storms in, swift as a wildfire. Such terrain include any heavily fortified structure or natural terrain such as forests, swamps, or snowfields.

Whichever force wins the opposed Battle/Water roll for Advantage gains a bonus to their

Devoted scholars of Sun Tao will note the absence of “expansive” terrain. Such terrain offers no advantage to attack, containing a distance too wide for a force to maintain momentum. Only a fool would attempt battle on such terrain.

Should you encounter such a fool, no force in such a terrain gains Advantage from the Tao of Strategy. No Battle rolls. None. May the Fortunes be with you; your commander sure isn't.

Advantage equal to their Fire; they have managed to take advantage of an enemy commander's impetuous attack with a lightning fast counterattack. Suspended: Suspended terrain varies from high ground to low ground, but not nearly as violently as precipitous terrain. This is terrain it is easy to advance from, but difficult to retreat back to if necessary. Land that slopes, such as hillsides, rolling plains, or even the wide ramps that often mark castle entrances all qualify.

Whichever force wins the opposed Battle/Water roll for Advantage gains a bonus to their Advantage equal to their Air; they have managed either to make use of their maneuverability and high ground for a devastating assault (often with ranged volleys), or were able to cunningly draw the enemy into a position difficult to disentangle themselves from.

Know Your AdvantageDetermining who wins or loses in a Battle is measured by Advantage. Once all of a force's Advantage is calculated, only then does the Battle proceed into Waves. Certain aspects of Advantage are only able to be garnered when forces of sufficient size have time to engage in the niceties of samurai warfare; other Battles may occur to quickly for these elements to be observed, becoming vicious contests of momentum and tactics.

A good commander, one assured of victory, must attend to the Tao of War: the Tao of Heaven, the Tao of Honor, the Tao of Glory, and the Tao of Strategy. Assessing the full Tao of War is equivalent to a full Scene, considering each individual assessment a significant and complex Action. If Battle erupts within a Scene, there is no time for these assessments except for the Tao of Strategy. In some situations a commander may not wish to make these assessments, especially if their goal in the Battle is not victory. This is especially true of those who choose only themselves as a force, becoming their own commanders, for the purpose of freedom on the battlefield to achieve specific goals before withdrawing. Reasons include theft, assassination, and avenging blood feuds by duels.

Becoming a force unto yourself is rarely honorable.

The Tao of Heaven (Divination): All forces choose a single character in their force to perform a divination, seeking the will of Heaven. This is not, it should be noted, as requesting the aid of Heaven. However, how this knowledge is communicated to both the commander and the rest of the force is important. No shugenja wishes to tell their daimyo he is doomed to defeat; those who do are often placed on the front line and commanded to “reconsider” their prediction.

Each force's chosen character makes a Divination/Awareness roll. The highest roll wins Heaven's Advantage, and can increase their hold over the Advantage by +1 per Raise.

The Tao of Honor (Politics): All forces choose a single character in their force to find the moral high ground in the battlefield. A force

Example: Two samurai armies fight over a valley, making it Constricted Terrain. The commanders are Hida Jo and Akira (whose duties have put them in conflict). Hida Jo's teishin wins the Politics roll, with 2 Raises. Akira's shugenja wins the Divination roll, then also wins the Boasting roll, with 1 Raise. So, Hida Jo has an Advantage of 3 (Politics + 2 Raises), and Akira has an Advantage of 3 (Divination + Boasting + 1 Raise).

They move onto the Battle roll. Hida Jo's force is 1,000 strong, while Akira's is only 500 strong, granting Hida Jo a +2k2 bonus. However, 800 of those 1,000 survived a losing Battle the week before, giving Hida Jo a -1k0 penalty. Akira's force is green, granting no penalty or bonus. Hida Jo has a Battle of 4 and a Water of 4, while Akira has a Battle of 5 and a Water of 3. Thus, Hida Jo rolls 7k6 while Akira rolls only 5k3, and Hida Jo wins the roll. He has the Advantage.

Hida Jo's total Advantage is 8 (Politics + 2 Raises + Battle + Water for winning Battle roll in Constricted Terrain), while Akira's total Advantage remains 3. The outlook for Akira's force is grim.

united in justice and honorable purpose is far stronger than one acting against the Celestial Order, thus each force tries to outmaneuver each other in legal and moral terminology through diplomacy before hostilities begin.

This roll can only be made by a force whose commander is superior or equal in status within the Celestial Order. If a commander is clearly inferior in status to an opposing commander, they cannot even attempt to gain this Advantage. A commander whose actual status is inferior, however, may be granted a higher status by virtue of the authority he is given. Thus, a daimyo could authorize a heimen to command a force against another daimyo's samurai, although this would be very rare, allowing the heimen to try for this Advantage.

Each force's chosen character makes a Politics/Awareness roll. The highest roll wins Honor's Advantage, and can increase their hold over the Advantage by +1 per Raise.

The Tao of Glory (Oratory): Each commander heads forth to proclaim their prowess, ancestry, and virtue to the enemy. What appears to be a mere “shouting match” between commanders, however, is in truth a vital morale booster for each commander's force as they attempt to outmaneuver one another in confidence. Except for using some special abilities, only the commander can engage in this boasting.

Each force's commander makes an Oratory/Awareness roll. The highest roll wins Glory's Advantage, and can increase their hold over the Advantage by +1 per Raise.

The Tao of Strategy (Battle): This assessment covers all the traditional trappings of war: strategy, tactics, formations, military discipline, and logistics. Each force's commander (the real commander, not just the one for show) makes the final roll. This is the only assessment that can be made without preparation. Unlike the other assessments, there are certain modifiers to this roll, depending on both the force's morale and strength.

A force's morale is determined by past experience in Battle. If the majority of the force has been in a lost Battle prior to the current one, the roll suffers a -1k0 penalty. If the force lost the prior Wave, the roll suffers a -1k0 penalty. If the force won the prior Wave, the roll gains a +1k0 bonus.

A force's strength is determined by its size in comparison to other forces in the Battle. If its size is larger, it gains a +XkX bonus to its roll, where X is the magnitude in size compared to the next largest force in the Battle. An army of 10,000 samurai versus an army of 5,000 samurai has a 2 to 1 advantage, and therefore a magnitude of 2, granting a +2k2 bonus.

Once both modifiers have been calculated, each commander makes a Battle/Water roll. The highest roll wins Strategy's Advantage, and can increase their hold over the Advantage by +1 per Raise.

Know Your WaveBattle has begun in earnest, and occurs in Waves. While preparation for the Battle is considered a Scene in itself, all the Waves combined together comprise a separate Scene as the forces vie for the upper hand, fighting and dying. Combat ranges all across the battlefield, with various individuals and units finding themselves driven onto specific positions, embroiled in duels, or targeted by magic.

Like Skirmish combat, the Wave is broken into Phases. Initiative works the same as in a Skirmish, with the following exceptions:• Instead of Void, the commander of each force rolls their Water for the entire force.• Individuals and Yowamushi do not have their own Initiative or Actions; they have only the Actions assigned to them by their

Some different forces or situations may override which Skill to use in determining the Tao of Strategy.

If the Battle takes place between ships or anywhere on water (such as a Battle taking place underwater), use the Sailing Skill.

If the Battle is against those outside the Celestial Order, you must use the appropriate Lore Skill and/or Emphasis against that force (this includes Shadowlands Lore). If you do not use the appropriate Skill, you cannot target the force (or anyone within it) with Battle Actions.

commander. • Individuals in a force can gain their own Actions by spending Void Points, exactly as if they were gaining an Interrupt Action. They can still only perform Battle Actions, however.

Only specific Battle Actions can be performed during a Wave. The these actions often include “target someone in a force” or “in another force,” or even target a force itself. Each commander can only target a specific individual or force once per Action, including themselves. When spending a Void Point to act independently during a Wave, an individual is not bound by the same restrictions, however an “individual in your force” must always refer to themselves. Any individual targeted by a Battle Action is considered to be performing an Act of Virtue.

Battle Actions include:

Bonus Effects: Target yourself. You can establish facts about the Battle equal to your Void Ring Rank as if they were bonus effects created by Raises.

Duel: Target an individual in your force and an individual in another force. A duel begins between the two as a Skirmish, unless both agree sagely to sheathe their katana and attempt Iaijutsu. Two shugenja may launch the raw power of the kami at each other in a Taryu-jiai duel. In any case, your individual is considered the challenger, and can determine what kind of challenge it is. If the opponent refuses, they are considered to have used the Flee Battle Action. The duel is also applicable to attacking nonhuman creatures who can only avoid one-on-one combat by Fleeing. No other duel (Sumai, Shiken, or Correspondence) may occur.

Except for Romance. It can flare to life in the flash of a blade. That's how the Matsu uji stays populated.

Flee: Target yourself or, if you are the commander, your force. You withdraw from the field of the Battle. No matter how orderly or necessary or haphazard your escape, this is an Act of Vice. The Battle is over for you, although you still take Wounds during the Know Your Casualties segment.

Rallying Cry: You can attempt an additional Oratory (Boasting)/Awareness roll (TN highest Advantage of another force x 5) to inspire your force. If successful, at the beginning of the next Wave you now have Glory's Advantage, and can increase your hold over the Advantage by +1 per Raise.

Spell: Target any individual in your force that can perform magic, such as a shugenja or monk. This individual can cast a spell, perform a kiho, or use any other magical ability. If the magic targets anyone else, they can target freely. If multiple Actions are normally needed, it is unnecessary now.

Contentious Ground: Target another force who is benefiting from the current Terrain. You can make a Battle/Water roll opposed by the force's commander to move your force into the advantageous position occupied by that force, pushing them out. If you win the roll, you gain the benefit instead for the next Wave.

Deadly Ground: Target an individual in your force. This individual has found themselves on ground where there is no escape; they must vanquish or die. The individual gains a +2k2 bonus on all combat rolls for the rest of the wave. If they are not targeted by an additional Battle Action or use a Battle Action by the end of the Wave, they suffer +2k2 Wounds at the end of the Wave.

Dispersive Ground: Target another force. They have penetrated deep into your held territory, but your force is swallowing them up. Inflict +1k1 Wounds on the force at the end of the Wave.

Encircled Ground: Target another force. You cut off the force from making any effective maneuvers, making them lose all current Action Dice at the price of losing all of your own force's Action Dice.

Entrapping Ground: Target your force. You can tell the Terrain is solidly against your force, and swiftly order the entire force to break ranks and reform somewhere more suitable. At the end of the Wave, the entire force moves to the nearest accessible Terrain. If no other force pursues, the Battle is ended for your force with neither victory or defeat. The force still accrues Wounds and casualties, however.

Focal Ground: Target another force. You have provided an opening for that force to act at an advantage. The other force gains an additional Battle Action in the current Phase.

Heavy Ground: Target your force and another force. You drive deep into their held ground, at a cost to your own force. At the end of the Wave, your force suffers an additional +1k1 Wounds, but the other force suffers +2k2 Wounds.

Light Ground: Target your force. Your force has penetrated lightly into enemy territory, causing them to group together for better defense. At the end of the Wave, your force suffers -1k1 Wounds.

Traversable Ground: Target an individual in your force. They have been placed some distance away from the engagement as a defensive precaution, finding ground to move swiftly away from hostilities when necessary. The individual does not gain any Honor or Glory from this Battle Action, but they suffer only 1k1 Wounds at the end of the Wave and cannot be targeted by any other Battle Action.

Know Your CasualtiesAt the end of a Wave, each commander has the opportunity to evaluate his losses. And war, though honorable and glorious, is deadly and unpredictable. It is a quick way to die, so tread carefully when you wade into rivers of blood.

A force takes 2k2 Wounds at the end of the Wave, depending on their armor. Those in light or ashigaru armor reduce their Wounds by -1k1, and those in heavy or riding armor reduce their Wounds by -2k2. Carapace applies as well. Battle Actions may also increase or decrease the Wounds suffered. All of this is in addition to any Wounds taken during the Wave, such as during a duel.

A force is composed of individuals, or Yowamushi, or both. Wounds taken by individuals (those noteworthy enough for complete statistics) are taken as normal. It's important to note that a large force likely has a wide variety of such individuals. Registering the Wounds for all of them would be time-consuming and prohibitive, so one needs only to keep track of Wounds for ones relevant to the players and Story. If hey showed up in a duel, were targeted by a similar Battle Action, or are in command, then they're worth keeping track of. Otherwise, don't worry about it. And of course, the player-characters should take their full amount of wounds at every opportunity. No Glory without blood.

Yowamushi are a different matter. If different elements of the force's Yowamushi are differently armored, roll separately for each division (non-armored, lightly armored, and heavily armored). Roll twice. The first roll is the percentage of the force too wounded to continue fighting; the second roll is the percentage of the wounded actually killed. Those wounded will be too exhausted, demoralized, or damaged to engage in any further Battles during this Story.

The Next WaveOnce casualties have been calculated, the next Wave begins. Heaven's and Honor's Advantage continue, as does Glory's Advantage unless it changed hands due to a Rallying Cry. Strategy's Advantage is rerolled Wave to Wave, which can fluctuate based on changing morale and strength.

Ending the BattleThe Battle ends when:

One commander has the most Advantage during three Waves. Every other force surrenders (to the enemy), cedes victory (to an ally), or is obliterated, leaving

only a single force standing victorious. There are no forces left in the Terrain (as all have chosen to Flee or withdrawn to a different

Terrain).

Being in a victorious army is considered an Act of Virtue; you gain twice as many Glory Points if you were the commander. If your force surrenders or is obliterated, it is considered an Act of Vice; commanders of such forces lose twice as many Glory Points.

Chapter 2: Character Creation

There's enough in Chapter 1 to see how the engine of the game works. Now it's time to put all the pieces together and add additional elements until you've built a character that interacts with that system. This chapter describes, in brief, the steps for building a character, then goes into detail about rules concerning each aspect (Rings & Traits, Honor & Glory, etc.). The details of factions and Disciplines are only briefly glossed over an given a brief charts. In-depth coverage of those aspects is left for Chapters 3-8.

There are 12 steps to building your Hachigoku character:1. Faction & Meibutsu2. Rings & Traits3. Honor & Glory4. Discipline5. Skills & Emphases6. Outfit7. Qualities8. Insight9. Okuden, Kiho, and/or Spells10. Wounds11. The Wa12. Season Actions

Step 1: Faction & MeibutsuThere are numerous uji, shinden, otokodate, and other factions scattered throughout Hachigoku. Choosing to belong to one, or none, begins determining the future of your character. Each uji, shinden, and otokodate bestows a meibutsu (“a little thing”), some particular practice or knowledge they are popularly noted for. The meibutsu translates into a bonus Skill at Rank 2 with a free Emphasis, a combination unique to the faction. If you wish to create a new faction (either an uji, shinden, or otokodate not otherwise described), their meibutsu must not be identical to one pre-existing. So, as the Akodo uji has Battle (Strategy), no other uji could have that meibutsu, although it could have Battle and some other Emphasis. Meibutsu between different types of factions, however, do not conflict; there could also be a shinden or otokodate with Battle (Strategy) as a meibutsu.

The factions are described in detail in Chapter 3: Hachigoku, but at the end of these character creation rules are some charts describing pertinent mechanics for quick creation. Choose among three options below. If you choose not to belong to a faction, you are a ronin who gains no meibutsu.

Uji Samurai: You belong to the samurai caste that rules Hachigoku: “Those who make war.” Further, you have sworn fealty to a specific daimyo, the leader of an uji (“clan”). The daimyo in turn may have sworn fealty to the daimyo of another uji, and so on, or his uji exists independently. You are classified as a ji-samurai, one of the millions of samurai serving uji throughout Hachigoku but not kin to the kuge and buke dynasties of the daimyo. Your basic needs are taken care of by your daimyo, and in return you owe him your utmost service and devotion.

Naming Your Character: During this part, you'll want to think of a name for your character. If it's an uji samurai, you'll have three names: your family name and your personal name, of your uji. And in that order. Think Japanese.

So, your name could be Bayushi (family) Yojiro (personal), of the Yogo (uji). Or even more elegantly and archaically: Yogo no Bayushi Yojiro.

Ronin will have only a personal name, and even more often a pseudonym for professional reasons.

Gakusho also will have only a single name, unless they chose to keep a samurai name from before their retirement.

See the Gaijin Name Disadvantage for more notes on naming.

Otokodate Ronin: You are a member of the samurai caste, but have no ties to an uji. Instead, you have earned a place in an otokodate (“brotherhood”) among other ronin. These ronin (“wave-men”) are tides that move across Hachigoku with no permanence. You may have been born into an uji and cast out, or simply born to Ronin parents. You must make your way in life alone and demand payment for your service, hoping that someday an uji will find you worthy. Until then the otokodate takes you in, and only pride in your own skills will fill your belly.

Shinden Gakusho: You may have been born of the lowest caste, or born a samurai, or even left on the doorstep of a shinden (“temple”) as an orphan. Whatever your origin, you have embraced the life of the Gakusho (“monk”), dedicating yourself to unraveling the mysteries of the Tao of Shinsei and seeking enlightenment under the guidance of one of the religious sects that dominate the Shinsei no Shinden. You exist both inside and outside the Celestial Order, considered a necessary element but difficult to fathom.

Step 2: Rings & TraitsAs a character, your basic physical and mental abilities are broken down into Rings, which symbolize the application of a metaphysical relation between the five elements (or “rings”) of Hachigoku philosophy: Air, Earth, Fire, Water, and Void. These Rings each have Ranks, ratings that measure your strength in each element. Each Ring is also divided into two Traits (except for Void), with each Trait reflecting a mental or physical aspect of the element, which also have Ranks of their own. A Ring is normally equal to the lowest Rank of the two Traits assigned.

Assign 2 Ranks to your Void Ring. You now must prioritize your remaining Rings, with the following distribution: 3, 3, 2, 2. So, now you will have a Void Ring of 2, two Rings at 3, and the last two Rings at 2. At this point, all associated Traits are equal to their Ring.

If you are a Ronin, you add +1 Rank to your Air, Earth, Fire, or Water Rings. Each associated Trait also gains 1 Rank.

If you are a Gakusho, you add +1 Rank to your Void Ring.

Step 3: On (Glory & Honor)Now you calculate your on (“face”), a measure of respect, renown, and adherence to Bushido. On is divided between two aspects: Glory and Honor.

Glory reflects the public fame and respect you garner, and is measured in Ranks. The only limit on Glory Ranks are your own: you cannot have a Glory Rank higher than your highest Ring Rank. How many Ranks you begin with depends on your faction:

Uji samurai begin with Glory 1. Ronin (whether otokodate or factionless) begin with Glory 0. Gakusho begin with Glory 2.

Uji Politics: Hachigoku is ruled by the Roju, composed of all the uji and divided into two councils: the Dainagon and Shonagon.

The ruling uji of Hachigoku are the Dainagon, those uji directly descended from the children of Sun and Moon (Akodo, Bayushi, Doji, Hida, Shiba, Shinjo, and Togashi), as well as those who descended from Hantei's three most devoted followers (Miya, Otomo, and Seppun). These uji owe fealty to none, except the absent Emperor.

The Shonagon are the lesser uji of Hachigoku. They do not stand as high as the Dainagon, but even they have a hierarchy of their own between uji known as the Fudai (“Inside”) and the Tozama (“Outside”).

The Fudai are those uji founded during the dawn of the Empire and on until the end of Hantei Genji's reign. Most owe fealty to Dainagon uji, but several are powerful and independent. The Tozama are all uji founded after the disappearance of the Hantei Dynasty.

Honor reflects your internal adherence to the tenets of Bushido, your own measure of worth. Like Glory, it is measured in Ranks, but is neither limited by your Rings nor open-ended. You cannot have more than 5 Ranks of Honor. How many Ranks you begin with depends on your type:

Uji Samurai and Gakusho have Honor determined by their Discipline.

Ronin begin with Honor 1.

Step 4: DisciplineIf you are an Uji Samurai, choose a Discipline. A Discipline is a tradition codified into a set of skills and techniques (known as Okuden) taught through the generations. During creation you can only choose a Basic Discipline; what Discipline you choose determines your profession: Bushi, Teishin, or Shugenja. Additionally, each Discipline gives a single Trait +1 Rank. These Disciplines are described in detail in the Bushi, Teishin, or Shugenja chapters.

If you are a Gakusho, choose a Discipline. These function identically to uji Disciplines, with a few minor differences, and are described in detail in the Gakusho chapter.

If you are a Ronin, you don't choose a Discipline. Certain otokodate and sensei teach Okuden unique to the wandering samurai, but you must qualify for their instruction. These are detailed in the Ronin chapter. You must, however, choose a profession: Bushi, Teishin, or Shugenja.

Bushi are by far the most common, roaming Hachigoku and selling their warrior skills.

Teishin are those who lack military bearing, and often find themselves surviving by cunning and intelligence as gamblers, merchants, and advisors.

Shugenja are those favored by the Fortunes, blessed with a bloodline able to speak with the kami. Although they may be born among the lower castes, any who can command kami must have true samurai blood somewhere in their lineage. The kami wouldn't sully themselves with just anyone, right?

At this point you should have a name and Profession, and possibly an uji or Subprofession. Some Qualities are restricted or more common to certain types of characters, usually specific uji or Professions/Subprofessions, and some Skills may likewise be restricted or function differently. In the case of an Uji, these differences apply to any character sworn to the Uji, including vassal Uji, or even with the same family name, as traditions and bloodlines extend along familial ties outside the Uji. Such Quality and Skill restriction, discounts, or differences are listed in their descriptions. A few rare Qualities and Skills may be even more precise, as noted in their descriptions. Thus, Hida Jo, of the Akodo Uji, a Mirumoto Bushi (Kenshi), is considered

Character Creation Example: Let's take a look as one of out players, Jenny, goes through the character creation steps.

Step 1: Jenny decides she wants a warrior who's especially good at both Skirmishes and Battles, so she choose to be a samurai from the Matsu uji. She gets the Meibutsu of Battle (Skirmish), and decides her samurai's full name is Matsu no Ikoma Tsunari.

Step 2: Jenny decides that she wants Tsunari to keep up that Skirmish/Battle theme, so makes her Water and Fire a 3. The rerst of her Rings (Air, Earth, & Void) are a 2.

Step 3 & 4: She's decided Tsunari studied the Akodo Bushi Discipline, so her Glory Rank is 1 and her Honor Rank is 3. It also adds to her Perception, so ow that Trait is 4.

Step 5: Tsunari assigns the following ranks to her Discipline Skills: Bajutsu 2, Battle 3, Defense 3, Etiquette 2, Kenjutsu 4, and Kyujutsu 2. Her Meibutsu raises her Battle to 5 with the Skirmish Emphasis, and she also adds Iaijutsu (Rank 3 due to her Fire) and Lore (Rank 2 due to her Air) for her two extra Skills. For her 3 extra Emphases, she adds Battle (Strategy), Kenjutsu (Katana), and Defense (Dodge), plus Lore gives her free Emphasis. She chooses History.

for rules purposes a Hida samurai, an Akodo samurai, and a Mirumoto samurai, as well as a bushi and a kenshi.

Step 5: Skills & EmphasesSkills represent the myriad learned abilities of your character, distinct from the raw application of your Rings and Traits, yet are measured in Ranks like Rings and Traits, with a range of 1 to 10.

If you are an Uji Samurai or Gakusho, your chosen Discipline assigns you six Skills. You need to prioritize these Discipline Skills in the same manner you did Rings, with the following distribution: 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2. So, one Skill at 4 Ranks, two Skills at 3, three Skills at 2. If your Meibutsu is identical to a Discipline Skill, add the Ranks together (making it possible to have a Skill at 6).

If you are a Ronin, choose any 6 Skills and prioritize them in the same manner: 4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2.

Now you gain 2 additional Skills that reflect your own individualization and interests. These Skills must be different from any Skills previously gained, either from your Meibutsu, Discipline, or a Ronin's initial six. The Ranks of these Skills is determined by your Ring, with each Skill category corresponding to a Ring:

Bugei Skills: Fire Ring. High Skills: Air Ring. Merchant Skills: Water Ring. Low Skills: Earth Ring.

Finally, you have three Emphases to spend on your Skills. These Emphases can be spread out among your Skills however you choose, whether they are all chosen in a single Skill or in three different Skills.

Step 6: OutfitIf you are an Uji samurai or Shinden gakusho, your Discipline determines your outfit. If you are a Ronin, your starting outfit depends on your profession, all of standard Quality:

Bushi Outfit: Katana, wakizashi, any 2 weapons, armor, well-worn traveling clothes and sandals, traveling pack, 1 koku.

Teishin Outfit: Wakizashi, tanto, kimono, well-worn traveling clothes and sandals, traveling pack, 1 koku.

Shugenja Outfit: Tanto, kimono, sandals, traveling pack, scroll satchel (with 6 spells of any element they can cast), 1 koku.

Qualities chosen during character creation may change the Quality of your equipment, replace it with other items, or remove items altogether.

Step 7: QualitiesQualities are aspects, events, or situations peculiar to your character that represent benefits life has granted him before play, or obstacles he must work to overcome. Qualities are considered either Minor or Major (worth 2 Minor ones), and divided into Advantages and Disadvantages.

Step 6: Jenny outfits Tsunari with the equipment proper for an Akodo Bushi: Katana, wakizashi, yumi, 20 arrows (she chooses to just have the regular ya), light armor, traveling pack, kimono, sandals, and 2 koku.

Step 7: Now she chooses her Qualities. She decides to focus on combat Advantages, and choose Combat Reflexes and Death Trance, to be adaptive and fearless. Of course she also dreams of being a great general, so she takes Tactician (which is only a Minor Quality since she is both Matsu and Akodo). Then she takes the Social Position Advantage to get a bit more Glory (making her Glory Rank 2). To offset those two Advantages she takes Brash and Fascination (Battles) as Disadvantages.

Step 8: Time to add up her Insight.

Ring Total Ranks x 10: 12 x 10 = 120

Skill Total Ranks (3+) + Emphases: 7 + 5 = 12

So her Insight is 132, making her still Insight Rank 1.

Step 9: She adds the Akodo Bushi Rank 1 Okuden to her character sheet: Way of the Lion.

Step 10: Tsunari's Earth is 2, so her Wounds per Level are 4.

Each character gains 2 Minor Advantages for free; further Advantages are offset with Disadvantages, but you cannot have more Disadvantages than your highest Ring.

Step 8: InsightInsight is a measure of your mental and physical prowess, determined by the improvement of your body, mind, and skills. While your Rings, Traits, and Skills reflect particular aspects of your being, Insight is the sum of your parts. Calculating your Insight consists of your:

• Rings: Each Ring Rank gives you 10 Insight. Thus, a Ring of 2 gives you 20 Insight.

• Skills: Each Skill Rank of 3 or more gains you 1 Insight. Thus, a Skill of 5 gives you 3 Insight. Some Skill Mastery abilities may also grant Insight.

• Emphases: Each Emphasis gives you 1 Insight, regardless of what Skill contains the Emphasis.

• Other Qualities, Okuden, or other such abilities may alter your Insight as well.

Apart from your total Insight, you also have an Insight Rank. This is an important factor when determining Discipline Rank and learning Okuden, Kiho, and Spells. You cannot, for instance, learn more Okuden than your Insight Rank. You Insight determines your Insight Rank, according to the chart below. Theoretically, you could continue past Insight Rank 8, with every 25 Insight gaining you an additional Rank.

Insight Insight Rank

0 - 149 1

150 - 174 2

175 - 199 3

200 - 224 4

225 - 249 5

250 - 274 6

275 - 299 7

300+ 8

Step 9: Okuden, Kiho, and SpellsDepending on the Discipline, you can now record what Okuden, Kiho, or Spells you know. Ronin Okuden can be gained as Qualities, with the right qualifications.

Step 10: WoundsAll damage is subtracted from your Wounds. Wounds are divided into 8 Wound Levels, each of which can contain Wounds equal to your Earth Ring x 2. Any time you take more Wounds than your Wound Level can hold, you drop down to the next Level and suffer the penalties for the

Step 11: Now Jenny gets together with the other players who have finished their characters:

Seth: Asahina no Otomo Yayu (Isawa Shugenja 1)

Chris: Sanzo (Ronin Bushi 1)

Daniel: Doji no Soshi Kuwaidan (Bayushi Teishin 1)

Katie: Eisai (Shinmaki Gakusho 1)

The highest Glory Rank belongs to Otomo Yayu, who is Glory Rank 3. Thus the Wa's Rank is 3. Jenny is both combat-minded and concerned about her wa, so she chooses a Dojo at Rank 1 and a Mura at Rank 1 as her Holdings. For Tsunari's giri, she quickly chooses Fire, as Tsunari is a natural warrior and leader.

Step 12: For her initial Season Actions, she first chooses to take Shelter at the Dojo and gets lucky rolling for no Trouble. Since it's Spring, she has 3 Season Actions (Water of 3), and chooses to spend 1 towards raising her Strength towards 4, 1 towards raising her Reflexes to 3, and 1 to raise her Kenjutsu to 5. With her free Season Action from the Dojo, she decides to raise her Kyujutsu to 3.

Ikoma Tsunari is set to go!

Wound Level you have filled. Note that your Water Ring can be reduced to effectively 0 from these penalties, meaning that you are so overcome by your injuries that you can no longer walk (though you might still be able to fight).

Every morning, as long as you received food, water, and a good 8 hours of sleep, you heal a number of Wounds equal to your Stamina. If you do nothing that day but rest and recuperate, tending to your wounds in a safe environment and not risking too much exertion, you heal twice that many Wounds.

Wound Levels:1. Healthy: At this level you are basically unharmed, just a few scrapes and bruises.2. Grazed (-1k0): You’ve taken some damage, but are still functioning pretty well. You have a

-1k0 penalty to all attempted rolls.3. Hurt (-2k0): You felt that one. You suffer a -2k0 penalty to all attempted rolls and your Water

Ring is considered reduced by –1 when determining your movement.4. Injured (-3k0): You have lot of trouble focusing, and even simple Skills take great effort. You

suffer a -3k0 penalty to all attempted rolls.5. Crippled (-4k0): You are barely able to stand upright. You suffer a -4k0 penalty to all attempted

rolls and your Water Ring is considered reduced by –2 when determining movement.6. Down (-5k0): You are effectively incapacitated, immobilized, and prone. You cannot move, and

can only speak in a whisper. You suffer a -5k0 penalty to all attempted rolls (if you can perform them at all).

7. Out (N/A): You are completely unconscious. Should you survive, you will likely bear some scar or other reminder of your brush with death.

8. Dead (N/A): Game over. When this Level is filled, you’re dead. Like a samurai charging between two Lions on horseback, or a monk who throws rocks at the Dark Oracle of Fire.

Step 11: Wa CreationNow that your character is complete, gather with the other players to create your wa, the bond between your characters forged to promote cooperation and define a direction for the campaign. This is chance not only to solidify the relationships between your characters, but to signal to the GM just what kind of glory and honor you, as a group, value. Word your wa's oath carefully. Also, you can buy Holdings during this step, even pooling your ability to buy Holdings together with other wa members for stronger Holdings.

Step 12: Season ActionsSeason Actions are how your character grows and advances over the course of the game. Most games typically start in the Spring; this is not ironclad, however. You can go ahead and plan your first Season Actions now, before the first Story begins.

Meibutsu: The Quick & Dirty List

The charts below lists the various uji, shinden, and otokodate and their associated meibutsu and any fealties they may owe.

The Dainagon Uji

Uji Meibutsu

Akodo Battle (Strategy)

Bayushi Sincerity (Misdirection)

Doji Etiquette (Diplomacy)

Hida Subojutsu (Tetsubo)

Miya Politics (Mon Heraldry)

Otomo Politics (Manipulation)

Seppun Investigation (Notice)

Shiba Yarijutsu (Naginata)

Shinjo Yomanri (Yabusame)

Togashi Ise Zumi Tattoo

The Fudai Uji

Uji Meibutsu Fealty

Agasha Explosives(Kagaku)

None

Asako Theology(Shintao)

Isawa

Daidoji Yarijutsu(Yari)

None

Hiruma Shadowlands Lore(Geography)

Hida

Ikoma Oratory(Boasting)

None

Isawa Lore(Shugenja)

None

Iuchi Medicine(Treatment)

Shinjo

Kaiu Engineering(Architecture)

Hida

Kakita Iaijutsu(Katana)

Doji

Uji Meibutsu Fealty

Kitsu Theology(Spirit Realms)

None

Kitsune Hunting(Tracking)

None

Kuni Shadowlands Lore(Oni)

Hida

Matsu Battle(Skirmish)

None

Mirumoto Kenjutsu(Katana)

None

Shosuro Stealth(Ambush)

Bayushi

Soshi Investigation(Interrogation)

Bayushi

Utaku Yarijutsu(Nagamaki)

Shinjo

Yasuki Commerce(Merchant)

None

Yogo Spellcraft(Maho)

Bayushi

Ise Shadowlands Lore(Tsuno)

Kitsu

Kakeguchi Subojutsu(Ono)

Hida

Kano Artisan(Sculpture)

Yasuki

Nani Meditation(Trance)

Asako

Tansuko Lore(Curses)

Yogo

The Tozama Uji

Uji Meibutsu Fealty

Asahina Theology(Fortunism)

Doji

Uji Meibutsu Fealty

Ashidaka Craft(Weaponsmith)

Kakita

Atsumaru Medicine(Herbalism)

Agasha

Chukan Lore(History)

Asako

Fundai Craft(Shipwright)

Kaiu

Goraiku Kyujutsu(Yumi)

Moshi

Hiramichi Commerce(Mathematics)

Daidoji

Hiramori Battle(Forest)

Daidoji

Hogosha Sincerity(Intimidation)

Yoritomo

Horiuchi Divination(Astrology)

Shinjo

Hosokawa Calligraphy(Ikoma Cipher)

Ikoma

Hotaru Performance(Noh)

Otomo

Hyuga Animal Handling(Horse)

Utaku

Ichiro Sumai(Dance)

None

Ide Politics(Maneuvering)

Shinjo

Ikeda Bajutsu(Gallop)

Matsu

Iwasaki Performance(Music)

Kakita

Izaku Calligraphy(Keigo)

Agasha

Kagehisa Kenjutsu(Yadomejutsu)

Tsuruchi

Kasuga Underworld Lore(Smuggling)

None

Uji Meibutsu Fealty

Katai Craft(Carpentry)

Akodo

Kenshin Iaijutsu(Focus)

Iuchi

Kitsuki Investigation(Nazado)

Agasha

Kochako Stealth(Shadowing)

Shosuro

Koritome Kyujutsu(Daikyu)

Matsu

Kotagama Law(Imperial Law)

Doji

Maisuna Engineering(Traps)

Kaiu

Maruta Oratory(Storytelling)

Shinjo

Meishozo Artisan(Painting)

Kuni

Morito Underworld Lore(Kolat)

None

Moshi Divination(Omens)

None

Moshibaru Lore(Ronin)

Hida

Moto Hunting(Survival)

Shinjo

Nanbu Kenjutsu(No-dachi)

Soshi

Naoko Kenjutsu(Gaijin Blades)

Moto

Nasu Law(Bureaucracy)

Shiba

Noroko Meditation(Fasting)

Kitsu

Onshigawa Athletics(Acrobatics)

Moto

Raikuto Etiquette(Conversation)

Hiruma

Uji Meibutsu Fealty

Rokugo Games(Gambling)

Bayushi

Sakura Underworld Lore(Ninja)

Kitsuki

Seizuka Craft(Cartography)

Akodo

Shingon Spellcraft(Nemuranai)

Isawa

Shudo Hunting(Trailblazing)

Kitsune

Suio Lore(Burning Sands)

Ide

Suzume Nofujutsu(Tonfa)

None

Tamori Athletics(Climbing)

None

Tokagure Poison(Antidotes)

Shosuro

Tonbo Etiquette(Tea Ceremony)

None

Toritaka Theology(Ancestors)

None

Tsume Resplendent CraneYarijutsu (Yari)

Doji

Tsuruchi Kyujutsu(Fletcher)

None

Ugawari Yarijutsu(Sasumata)

Kuni

Ujina Tantojutsu(Tanto)

Usagi

Usagi Athletics(Leaping)

None

Watanabe Sailing(Shipwright)

Yoritomo

Yoritomo Sailing(Navigation)

None

Zurui Investigation(Ichi-miru)

Mirumoto

The Shinsei no Shinden

Shinden Meibutsu

Four Shinden Politics(Manipulation)

Osano-wo no Shinden Yarijutsu(Naginata)

Tengen no Seido Investigation(Notice)

Mikokami Theology(Fortunism)

Seido of Seven Thunders Meditation(Trance)

Shinden of Seven Fortunes Theology(Shintao)

Order of Sakura Spellcraft(Maho)

The Otokodate

Otokodate Meibutsu

Moonless Riders Bajutsu (Horse)

Hidden Sword Hunting(Tracking)

Iron Guantlet Battle(Strategy)

Serpents of Sanada Underworld Lore(Wako)

Eyes of Nanashi Law(Imperial Law)

Sword of Yotsu Defense (Guard)

Tessen Chisaijutsu(Parry)

Scales of the Carp Commerce(Merchant)

Order of Isashi Medicine(Treatment)

Seido of Fortunes' Grace Theology(Ancestors)

Disciplines: The Quick & Dirty List

The following lists are broken down between bushi, shugenja, teishin, and gakusho Disciplines. Each lists the name of the Discipline, its Skills assigned at character creation, and its beginning Honor.

Bushi Disciplines

Discipline Skills Honor

Akodo Bushi BajutsuBattleDefenseEtiquetteKenjutsuKyujutsu

3

Bayushi Bushi DefenseIaijutsuInvestigationKenjutsuKyujutsuSincerity

1

Hida Bushi DefenseKenjutsuKyujutsuShadowlands LoreSubojutsuSumai

2

Hiruma Bushi AthleticsHuntingKenjutsuKyujutsuShadowlands LoreStealth

2

Kakita Bushi BajutsuDefenseEtiquetteIaijutsuKyujutsuOratory

3

Mirumoto Bushi AthleticsJiujutsuKenjutsuKyujutsuMeditationTheology

2

Shiba Bushi Defense 3

Discipline Skills Honor

KenjutsuKyujutsuMeditationTheologyYarijutsu

Shinjo Bushi AthleticsBajutsuDefenseKenjutsuYarijutsuYomanri

1

Tsuruchi Bushi AthleticsDefenseHuntingInvestigationKyujutsuNofujutsu

2

Yoritomo Bushi AthleticsKenjutsuKyujutsuNofujutsuSailingSincerity

1

Shugenja Disciplines

Discipline Skills Honor

Agasha Shugenja AthleticsDefenseJiujutsuMeditationSpellcraftTheology

2

Asahina Shugenja ArtisanDivinationEtiquetteMeditationSpellcraftTheology

3

Discipline Skills Honor

Isawa Shugenja EtiquetteDivinationOratoryPoliticsSpellcraftTheology

3

Iuchi Shugenja AthleticsBajutsuDivinationHuntingMedicineSpellcraft

2

Kitsu Shugenja AthleticsEtiquetteJiujutsuLoreSpellcraftTheology

3

Kitsune Shugenja BojutsuDivinationHuntingMedicineSpellcraftTheology

2

Kuni Shugenja DefenseHuntingKenjutsuShadowlands LoreSpellcraftTheology

1

Soshi Shugenja InvestigationLawSinceritySpellcraftStealthTantojutsu

1

Tamori Shugenja AthleticsDefenseJiujutsuKenjutsuMeditationSpellcraft

2

Discipline Skills Honor

Yogo Shugenja DivinationInvestigationLoreShadowlands LoreSpellcraftTheology

2

Teishin Disciplines

Discipline Skills Honor

Bayushi Teishin EtiquetteInvestigationOratoryPoliticsSincerityTantojutsu

1

Chukan Teishin CalligraphyEtiquetteLawLoreMedicineTheology

3

Doji Teishin CalligraphyEtiquetteLawOratoryPoliticsSincerity

3

Ide Teishin BajutsuCommerceEtiquetteHuntingOratoryPolitics

2

Ikoma Teishin AthleticsBattleEtiquetteKenjutsuOratoryPolitics

2

Kakita Teishin ArtisanAthleticsCalligraphyEtiquette

2

Discipline Skills Honor

OratoryPerformance

Kitsuki Teishin EtiquetteGamesInvestigationLawMeditationUnderworld

2

Miya Teishin AthleticsBajutsuDefenseEtiquetteLawOratory

3

Otomo Teishin CommerceGamesInvestigationLawPoliticsSincerity

2

Yasuki Teishin CommerceEtiquetteLawNofujutsuPoliticsSincerity

1

Gakusho Disciplines

Discipline Skills Honor

Asako Henshin AthleticsInvestigationJiujutsuLoreMeditationTheology

3

Gakusho Advisor CalligraphyDivinationEtiquettePoliticsSincerityTheology

2

Gakusho Budoka AthleticsDefense

2

Discipline Skills Honor

BojutsuJiujutsuNofujutsuMeditation

Gakusho Evangelist BojutsuEtiquetteMeditationOratorySincerityTheology

3

Gakusho Scholar CalligraphyDivinationLoreMedicineMeditationTheology

3

Gakusho Shinmaki AtemiAthleticsCraftInvestigationJiujutsuMeditation

3

Gakusho Sohei BattleDefenseKyujutsuMeditationSubojutsuYarijutsu

1

Gakusho Tsukai-sagasu HuntingInvestigationKenjutsuLawSpellcraftTheology

1

Onnotangu Ninja AnatomyAtemiMeditationNinjutsuStealthTheology

0

Togashi Ise Zumi AthleticsDefense

2

Discipline Skills Honor

GamesKaze-doMeditation

Discipline Skills Honor

Theology

Rings & Traits

Each Ring represents an elemental balance in the character’s make-up, a force that can both be quantified together as a Ring or separately as a pair of Traits. Rings and Traits each are measured in Ranks, with Rings equaling the lowest of the two Traits. Cultivating one's Traits is not merely a zero-sum calculation, however, but requires spiritual purity and understanding to unlock the highest virtues of the samurai. Thus, Traits cannot exceed 5 Ranks unless you have the Theology (Shintao) Skill with at least 5 Ranks. While the Traits each have descriptions of qualifiers at each Rank, these are only rough guidelines and not carved in stone limitations of the Ranks.

AirThe Ring of Air (“kaze”) is the element of intuition, divided into the Traits of Awareness and Reflexes.

Awareness (Mental Trait): This represents your intuition and empathy, often used when interacting with others socially.

Ranks1. You almost always find a way to say the wrong thing.2. You’re able to get along with people who get along with you.3. You can usually sense deeper emotions than those that are

shown on the surface.4. You can pick up hints even from those who are skilled at hiding

their emotions.5. You know everyone’s secrets... sooner or later.

Reflexes (Physical Trait): This represents how quickly you react to stimuli, and is used when defending yourself quickly from attacks or using missile weaponry.

Ranks1. You take a moment or two to decide to jump out of the way of

large onrushing objects.2. Average reflexes, not well refined.3. Able to react before just about anyone else.4. Cat-like in your ability to sense danger.5. You’re out of the room before anyone knows you’re gone.

EarthThe Ring of Earth (“chi”) is the element of passive strength, resistance, and fortitude, divided into the Traits of Willpower and Stamina.

Willpower (Mental Trait): This represents your capacity to just say “No.”

Ranks1. Timid, easily frightened, unassertive, and easily manipulated.2. Average, easy to convince if your goals are the same.3. Not a strong will, but not one easily dissuaded from action.4. Almost unshakable in resolve.

How Do They Act?

There are times when you want to be sure of what's going on around you, when it's important to be taking note of how people are interacting and what hey are doing and why. Feel free to ask your GM.

GM, don't worry if you don't know. If you don't, ask the player to give you the answer.

That's right. Hand over control. And player, you might not know how you're acting either when someone asks, so go ahead and ask them back.

Now the original questioner must make an Awareness roll. You can't fail this; the TN is 0. However, every Raise you make gives you Bonus Effect for narrative authority. If you want, you can opt to use any appropriate Social Skill using Awareness.

So make it up.

5. Iron-willed, steadfast, and resolute.

Stamina (Physical Trait): The higher your Stamina, the longer you can push yourself to your physical limits.

Ranks1. Weak immune system, prone to chronic illness and disease.2. Average health, might catch a cold every so often.3. Walk on a sprained ankle without a wince and run long

distances before getting winded.4. Robust and mighty, able to perform incredible feats of

endurance.5. Can swim great distances with ease, recover from illness

without medical attention, and ignore serious wounds.

FireThe Ring of Fire (“hi”) is the element of active energy, divided into the Traits of Intelligence and Agility.

Intelligence (Mental Trait): This represents your ability to acquire and apply information.

Ranks1. Easily confused and slow thinking.2. Average thinker, can follow difficult conversations with

concentration.3. Can figure out puzzles and decipher codes with little work.4. Intellect of a scholar, not easily deceived by even the most

clever lies.5. A genuine genius, clear-thinking and brilliant.

Agility (Physical Trait): Your ability to move with style, grace, and coordination, usually used in melee combat.

Ranks: 1. Clumsy and stumbling.2. Average coordination, requires concentration for difficult actions.3. Even your average actions are graceful.4. You have almost a second sense for motion.5. Even your most minute movement is like a dance.

WaterThe Ring of Water (“mizu”) is the element of strength and clarity, divided into the Traits of Perception and Strength.

Perception (Mental Trait): Your character’s ability to perceive the world around him using his five senses.

No.

Sometimes, when it comes to Bonus Effects that affect you, or ruin some setting element you have a stake in, you just want to say No.

Now, you shouldn't. Much. But sometimes...

So use your Willpower. Make a Willpower roll, TN equal to the roll's total creating the Bonus Effect.

Better to trust.

What Do I Know?

Like How Do They Act?, you can determine what you know about the world around you. Roll your Intelligence, TN 0, with Raises for each Bonus Effect.

And you can use any appropriate Lore Skill for this roll, using Intelligence, too.

Ranks1. You miss even important and obvious details.2. You pick up on things when you pay attention.3. You’ve learned how to look for important details.4. You take one look, close your eyes, and list the details of a

room.5. No matter how insignificant and minor, no detail gets past you.

Strength (Physical Trait): This represents your ability to lift, push, pull, and deal damage.

Ranks1. Weak and physically unimposing.2. Average, able to lift app. 100 lbs.3. Strong enough to lift app. 200 lbs.4. Your strength is well-known, able to lift app. 300 lbs.5. Your strength is legendary, able to lift app. 400 lbs. or more.

VoidThe Ring of Void (“ku”) is unlike the other Rings, for it represents your ability to use all Rings as a single Ring (and rule them all... um, no, wrong story...). The higher your Void Ring, the more you understand that all elements are really the same element.

At the beginning of each day, you gain a number of Void Points equal to your Void Ring. You cannot have more Void Points than your Void Ring, except in special circumstances (such as through Okuden). You can spend these Void Points for a variety of different effects, but cannot spend more than a single Void Point per roll. To recover Void Points, you must get a full night’s sleep (at least 8 hours); if you go without food, water, or sleep for more than one day, you cannot recover Void Points naturally until this is rectified.

You can spend a Void Point for: Enhancing Rolls: You can spend a Void Point to gain a +1k1 bonus to any attempted action, be

it a Skill, Trait, or Ring roll. This must be defined as an attempted action, not the result of a previous action, making damage rolls ineligible for this bonus. This use must be declared and paid for before the roll is made.

Additional Actions: You can spend a Void Point to gain an Action in the current Phase. This may not be an attack, but can be used for any other purpose.

Activating Abilities: Some Okuden, Qualities, Kiho, or other abilities require Void Points to use them.

Forget Me Not: When you reduce an opponent to at least the Down Wound Level with a damage roll, you can spend 2 Void Points to assure yourself they will never forget you, giving them one of the following Disadvantages permanently: Lame, Missing Eye, Missing Limb, or Scarred.

The Final Strike: You can spend 3 Void Points if reduced to the Down or Out Wound Levels immediately to still be able to use your next Action in the round before falling. If actually killed, you can spend 5 Void Points for a Final Strike.

What Do I See?

Like How Do They Act? and What Do I Know?, you can use Perception to flesh out the Scene around you. Roll your Perception, TN 0, with Raises for each Bonus Effect.

And you can also use any appropriate Skill for this roll, using Perception.

So, to sum up:

You can use Awareness to define the people around you (even yourself), Intelligence to define the global environment, and Perception to define the immediate environment.

All with Bonus Effects.

And you can use Willpower to say No.

So don't tell your GM you can't think of what to do with Raises outside of combat. No excuses. No.

The Void Pool: Unlike your character, NPC's (Non-Player Characters) do not gain Void Points as normal. Instead, they access the Void Pool, administered by the GM. At the start of every session, the Void Pool is empty. Whenever you spend a Void Point, for any reason, the GM adds a Void Point to the Void Pool. An NPC can still use Skills and other abilities to gain Void Points, but even these Void Points are not entirely their own, but go into the Void Pool. Any NPC at any time (subject to normal limitations) can spend the Void Points for the normal effects. Once spent, these Void Points vanish, and the Void Pool empties at the end of every session.

On (Glory & Honor)

Usually translated as either “respectability” or the more popular “face,” On (long “o” vowel sound) is the measure of a man’s respect. Respect from society and respect for himself. Often, Hachigoku is more concerned with appearance than truth; being considerate of others can win you many favors, while being inconsiderate can cost you your life. A samurai with no On has been disgraced and may only save his On by committing seppuku. In Hachigoku, people are respectful of other each other because causing a “scene” brings a loss of On to both parties. Discipline is very important, and showing a burst of emotion means you have lost “face.”

Yes, this is a gross oversimplification. Books over the centuries cannot reach precision on the matter, so don't expect justice in a single paragraph. Take it as a starting point.

So what does that mean to you? On is divided into two secondaries: Honor and Glory. Honor is your measure of self-worth, dictated by an adherence to Bushido, the ancient code of the warrior (at least, ancient in Hachigoku). Glory is a measure of how well known and famous (or infamous) you are in the Empire.

Both of these may play into your status within the social hierarchies of Hachigoku, but while this may entail titles and responsibilities with very real everyday effects, your position in the Celestial Order is not simply ranked by a single statistic.

HonorGenerally, Honor is your integrity. It is not a straitjacket. It does not determine how you behave; how you behave determines what it is.

While Honor is largely an internal concept, it is not entirely so; it also reflects how others perceive you. If it were purely an internal matter, it could quickly become irrelevant. The greatest of villains merely believed themselves misunderstood but honorable souls. In reality, even the most loyal and cold-hearted Bayushi assassin can only lie to himself so much before he realizes how others perceive his dishonorable actions. Although many uji place different stigmas on different activities, there is a general agreement that a number of actions are ultimately honorable or dishonorable. Thus, the effects and virtue of Honor itself is an objective observation, even if the intricacies and nuances are vigorously debated.

The Virtues of BushidoHonor is largely defined by Bushido, the Way of the Warrior, a system of warrior beliefs and virtues pioneered by Akodo One-Eye, the Lion Kami, founder of the Akodo uji. Those who do not adhere to Bushido (pretty much anyone not a samurai, especially nonhumans and gaijin) have no Honor. They are considered to have an Honor Rank 0 for game mechanics purposes, although some Techniques and other abilities are completely useless against those with no Honor (ignoring the effective Rank 0 condition). Actions which adhere to Bushido are honorable, and actions that violate Bushido are dishonorable. Some aspects of Honor are ingrained into Hachigoku's social customs as well, permeating society even beyond the samurai caste.

Gi (Honesty): A samurai is honest in all things. Truth measures the meaning of life so adhering to truth defines the course of the samurai’s life. Those who lead an honorable life are pure and have nothing to fear from the truth. Lies are a tool of the weak and shameful. Even the most dishonest teishin would agree; misdirection crafted from half-truths is always better than a bold-faced lie.

Yu (Courage): A samurai fears nothing; he must stand above his emotions. Courage is not the absence of fear, simply the determination to carry on regardless.

Jin (Compassion): A samurai goes out of his way to help others; a wise person tempers power with mercy. Mercy is a fundamental principle of the Celestial Order, and the man who spares his enemy is superior to him.

Rei (Courtesy): A samurai is always respectful in his dealings with others. Respect is more important than strength of arms to the fabric of the Empire. Order preserves the Empire; chaos destroys it. It is said that a well-armed society is a polite one; Hachigoku is VERY well-armed.

Meyo (Honor): The only true judge of a samurai is, in the end, himself. Honor is the binding force that elevates samurai above the common man. It cannot be truly defined, for those without any concept of honor will never understand. It is, ultimately, responsibility. The acceptance of the consequences of your actions, and the willingness to stand by and own them. No matter the cost. All other virtues of Bushido lead to meyo, yet meyo is required for all the other virtues to be practiced.

Makoto (Sincerity): Word and action are the same. A samurai’s word is the cornerstone of his reputation; he need not make promises, for every word he speaks should breathe certainty and sincerity.

Chugo (Duty): A samurai does not retreat from responsibility. All that exists has a purpose; to recognize and pursue that purpose is the virtue of duty. Even Emperors bow before the Heavens, and all should follow their examples. Duty to the Heavens, the uji, your daimyo, your immediate family, and yourself last of all.

Honor RanksHonor has 6 Ranks, from 0 to 5. A character with Honor cannot have it below 0 Ranks or above 5 Ranks.

Rank 0 (Honorless Dog!): You do not adhere to Bushido and mock those who do. You cannot be trusted, and would likely betray anyone for an advantage. Most criminals have this Rank.

Rank 1 (Untrustworthy): While you are hardly honorable, you are somewhat reliable. You have some veneer of virtue, a loose morality that even you won’t violate; you can be relied upon to act honorably if the threat of punishment is real. Bushido is imperfect and inconvenient, but not a bad ideal.

Rank 2 (What is Expected): You follow the tenets of Bushido to the letter, but still have qualms whenever it supplants your own desires. You believe in it, but sometimes Bushido is hard to understand. Still, you are generally honorable, and those who act selflessly are heroes in your eyes. This is the default Rank for most samurai.

Rank 3 (Exceptional): You have seen the strength of Bushido, and while you feel the temptations of “low” character, you resist them with some effort. Occasionally you allow yourself to ignore virtue for

practicality, but these decisions haunt you long afterward.

Rank 4 (A Soul Above Question): You are a rarity, devoted to Bushido; little can turn you away from your duty and Clan. Others frequently admire you, but often view you as impractical and rigid. For you, honor is its own reward, and wipes away all failure.

Rank 5 (Strength of a Thousand Ancestors): The paragon of honor and the stuff of legends. Those who dare to question your honor only call their own into doubt. You are selfless, completely devoted to Empire, uji, and family.

Gaining HonorHonor Ranks are fluid; they rise and fall according to your actions, being the demonstration of your understanding and adherence to Bushido. Your actions gain or lose Honor Points. Once you have more than 10 Honor Points, your Honor Rank rises and you lose all your Honor Points. Essentially, you “reset” at the next highest Honor Rank. This occurs as your soul digests the import and worth of your choices. Your Honor Rank cannot rise above 5, nor can you have more than 10 Honor Points at the end of a Story. If you are Honor Rank 5 with any number of Honor Points, only to be awarded enough Honor Points to put you above 10, you simply have 10 Honor Points.

Incorporating the consequences of your actions into your soul takes some time. After all, a single instance of virtue does not actually make one virtuous; you must know you are being virtuous and doing an activity to embrace your virtue. Only experience of habit can accomplish such a task. Thus, even though you gain (or lose) Honor Points immediately, your Honor Rank does not actually rise until the end of the current Story. It is then that Honor Points reset. If your Honor Rank has not changed, your tally of Honor Points carries over into the next Story (and even the next Season).

It is easier for a lower Honor Rank character to acquire Honor Points than it is for higher Honor Rank characters. Climbing to the highest reaches of your soul is easier at first, because the demands on your soul become greater once you yourself are more honorable. Rising in honor should be difficult the farther you travel the path of Bushido, precisely because what was exceptional for an honorless dog is expected of a samurai with the strength of a thousand ancestors. But then, the benefits of actually being honorable rise as well.

Actions that gain you Honor Points can be divided into two broad categories: Acts of Virtue, and Acts of Excellence.

Acts of VirtueAny time you perform a task in accordance with one of the tenets of Bushido, you gain Honor Points. However, these cannot simply be the execution of your obligations to anyone but yourself, and for no other gain that the correctness of the action itself. Thus, this is not concerning Actions as in a single die roll or momentary impulse. Honor Point awards for Acts of Virtue should occur at the end of a Scene, or even an entire Story so that their dimensions are adequately considered. Not that every deliberation, purpose, or effect possible is accounted for, but just so reasonable expectations are covered. Honor Point awards are for actions that are honorable but not required, or

Act of Virtue Example: Hida Jo discovers a wounded enemy general among the dead after a battle. He quickly seeks a shugenja to heal his wounds as a show of compassion once the fighting is finished. At the end of the Scene he should be awarded Honor Points. If he had to drag the wounded general through a hail of arrows, or brought him aid despite orders to leave no enemy alive, the Honor Points would be even greater. If, however, he aided the general just to gain reward from his daimyo, to use the general as a hostage, or for blackmail, or any number of ulterior motives honorable or dishonorable, there would be no Honor Points awarded.

even harmful to you. Risk awards Honor. Duty requires Honor. There's a difference.Whenever you perform an Act of Virtue, you gain 3 Honor Points if it was voluntary and for

immediate gain, +3 Honor Points if it was a significant risk to yourself. The risk need not be immediately physical (although it usually is), but also an action that could (or does) imperil your Honor, Glory, status, or anything else of vital importance to you (family, uji, friends, the wa, all of Hachigoku, etc.). This danger must be clear before the action; acting in ignorance is not honorable. Acts of Virtue are defined as being in service to the Virtues of Bushido, and sometimes Acts of Virtue may even be appropriate to more than one Virtue. Then, you must subtract your current Honor Rank from the award, to a minimum of 0 Honor Points. So, an Honor Rank 2 samurai who performed an Act of Virtue with significant risk would be awarded 4 Honor Points (6-2=4), while an Honor Rank 4 samurai committing an Act of Virtue with no significant danger would gain no Honor Points (3-4=-1, round up to 0). Examples include, but are not limited to:

Gi: Acknowledging a superior opponent (this shows not only honesty in appraising another's skill, but your own). Giving a truthful report (this is usually required, but could likely be dangerous if it could damage or offend your daimyo; could also display Makoto).

Yu: Facing a clearly superior foe in the name of your uji, family, or someone or something else you have sworn to defend. Overcoming any attempt to coerce you into an action against your will, including magic.

Jin: Aiding a wounded enemy. Kindness to those beneath your status. Rei: Enduring an insult to yourself. Politely ignoring another's dishonorable behavior. Sincere

courtesy to your rivals (could also display Makoto). Makoto: Fulfilling a promise (could also display Chugo). Convincing another of your sincerity

or belief (this cannot be an outright lie). Chugo: Acknowledging responsibility for a superior's shameful action (could also display

Makoto). Following orders despite personal misgivings. Protecting or furthering your uji or family's interest.

Acts of ExcellenceActs of Virtue put Bushido on display, encouraging others to uphold Bushido as well, but are open to interpretation and argument. Likewise, they put the actor at considerably more peril in return for a benefit that could be quietly internalized. Acts of Excellence are much more static, grounded, and prone to display. The Honor Points awarded by such Acts are not affected by your current Honor Rank, and rarely can they be accomplished without publicity.

Duels: Accepting duels is always honorable, even if it is foolhardy against a clearly superior opponent. Or even against an inferior opponent (doing this may incur a loss greater than the reward, however). Duels need not be iaijutsu duels, although those are by far the most praised. They need not even be strictly affairs of combat—teishin, shugenja, and gakusho throughout history have developed several alternative methods of competition: the taryu-jiai of magic, Winter Court games, riddle challenges, etc. While accepting a duel is always honorable, and may even coincide with an Act of Virtue, increasing the Honor Point award, issuing challenges is not (of course, issuing the challenge may still coincide with an Act of Virtue itself). Broadly, duels are divided into three categories: to the victory, to the injury, or to the death. Duels to the victory are worth 1 Honor Point, duels to the injury are worth 2 Honor Points, and duels to the death are worth 3 points. Victory in any duel is worth the same amount Honor Points as acceptance. Thus, to accept and win a duel to the death is worth 6 Honor Points, and to challenge and win a duel to the injury is worth 2 Honor Points.

Quests: Accepting a quest from a superior (be it your daimyo, an elder relative, an Imperial official, a

Fortune, etc.) and accomplishing it is worth Honor Points. This quest must involve significant danger to yourself, and fulfilling the quest's objective is worth a number of Honor Points equal to the Stories it took to complete (remember the limit of 10 Honor Points lest you be tempted to draw out a quest for an unnecessarily long time).

Gifts: Fulfilling the Virtue of Rei by giving gifts is a common activity among samurai, and forms the basis for the samurai economy (although not so much for the lower castes). Simple economic activity can, in fact, be cloaked in the illusion of gift-giving. Simple gifts, or those required by custom, will not gain you Honor Points; Fine Quality gifts or those given in true generosity, usually when you cannot afford to be giving a gift at all, or when doing so is disadvantageous to you do. You must give a gift to receive Honor Points, not receive, and it must not be to your superior. Such a figure demands everything you have and everything you all; “gifting” them anything is absurd. A Fine Quality gift is worth 1 Honor Point, while one difficult for you to give up (an object of sentimental value, an inherited gift, a supernatural one, etc.) is worth 2 Honor Points.

Arts: The soul that beholds beauty becomes beautiful. Creating a work of art, be it a performance or an object, can be highly Honorable. This is only possible for souls of a certain Honor Rank, however, as those less attuned to Bushido cannot grasp the excellency of the artwork. Thus, you cannot gain Honor Points for the arts if you have an Honor Rank below 3. Arts are considered any use of Skills in the Artisan or Performance Subgroup, in addition to the Craft Emphases of Swordsmith and Armorsmith and the Oratory Emphases of Storytelling and Poetry. Under the right conditions, even the Games Skill (perhaps with a masterful game of Go between two sensei) could be exquisitely executed, or a Bugei Skill could be performed as a demonstration of its katas and forms. In any case, the roll for the art has TN 40. Those who produce the art receive 1 Honor Point, and can make Raises to increase the gain by +1 Honor Point per Raise. Those who witness a performance gain half the number of Honor Points, rounded up. Those who absorb a created work (studying it at some length) for the first time also gain half the Honor Points, rounded up, but this bonus fades by 1 Honor Point per Season.

High Skills: High Skills are tools to enlighten the soul, thus increasing your Skill Ranks is seen as an honorable way to spend your time. Whenever you increase a High Skill Rank higher than your Honor Rank with Season Actions, you gain 1 Honor Point at the end of the Season.

Vengeance: Avenging insults and demanding blood for blood is an honorable enterprise in Hachigoku, and highly ritualized. If engaged in a Blood Feud (where entire family lines swear vengeance against another), you gain honor for slaying your enemies. After slaying members of the opposing families, you gain Honor Points equal to the highest Insight Rank or Threat Rating among the slain enemies you engaged, minus your Honor Rank. Vengeance is honorable, but the unrestricted lust for blood begins to trouble the purest souls. It's important to note this involves families, and sometimes individuals. A Blood Feud cannot be granted against an entire uji.

Restoring the Celestial Order: This a polite way of saying “destroy those different!” Any time you defeat groups of Shadowlands creatures, maho-tsukai, ninja, gaijin—pretty much anyone considered to be separate or violently opposed to the Celestial Order by their very existence, you gain Honor Points equal to the highest Ring or Threat Rating among the slain enemies you engaged. Note the “by their very existence” part; lower castes in rebellion do not count outside the Celestial Order, or violently opposed to it by their very existence. And, of course as everyone knows, ninja do not exist. Nor do Kolat.

Honor LossesParadoxically, the more Honor you gain, the easier it is to lose; a samurai at the height of Bushido has longer and more tragic fall than an honorless dog. The effects of the fall are swift, however. Whereas Honor Point gains do not affect your Honor Rank until the end of the Story, Honor Point losses affect your Honor Rank at the end of a Scene. If you lose more Honor Points than you have by the end of the Scene, you lose an Honor Rank. Your total Honor Points reset to 0, just as if you had gained an Honor Rank.

Like Honor gains, losing Honor Points falls broadly into two categories: Acts of Vice, and Acts of Shame.

Acts of ViceActs of Vice represent actions contrary to the seven Virtues, and direct violations to the very basic foundations of Bushido. When performing an Act of Vice you lose Honor Points equal to your Honor Rank; the higher your Honor, the harsher the verdict you render against yourself. Such actions may only lose you half your Honor Rank (round up) if the act was done unintentionally or in ignorance. You do not excuse yourself for failing to comprehend or overcome situation, even if the damage is mitigated. These include, but are not limited to:

Dishonesty: Accepting a bribe. Outright lying (without using a Skill). Cowardice: Fleeing from battle (rather than sensibly retreating). Not resisting orders you know

are disastrous to whoever you owe loyalty to. Cruelty: Instigating unwarranted violence. Subjecting others to injustice. Disrespect: Being duped into a dishonorable activity. Breach of etiquette (improper

introduction, spilling tea, public drunkenness, insulting a host, gluttony, sloth, etc.). Insincerity: Manipulating another into a dishonorable activity. Breaking your promise. Disloyalty: Disobeying your superior's commands. Accomplice to a crime.

Acts of ShameActs of Shame egregiously violate Bushido, discouraging others from embracing the nobility of the warrior code. Well, that's how Akodo would put it. They put the actor at considerably more peril in a way that is difficult to redeem. These extremes of dishonor are rarely private, or require enormous effort to hide. Most who fall so far so fast rarely see any point in making the long climb back to the even a plateau of acceptable integrity, and simply admit defeat. Acts of Shame are much more static, grounded, and prone to display. The Honor Points lost by such Acts are not affected by your current Honor Rank, and may destroy your Honor entirely in one fell swoop.

Low Skills: Low Skills are a blight on the soul. Spending your time perfecting or practicing Low Skills is can only lead to dishonor. Whenever you increase a Low Skill Rank or successfully use a Low Skill you lose 1 Honor Point.

Impurity: Being clean is of great importance to samurai. By touching things that do not fit their definition of “clean” they anger the ancestors that guide and watch over them. To the samurai’s mind, this act also defiles his soul and violates tenets set down by the Fortunes. Sweat and blood are considered unclean, and it is taboo to touch the flesh of another if either is upon them. Even a kimono and pommel of a katana must be made or wrapped in silk to keep sweat from soaking into the material. Fish, rabbit, and bird are largely considered the only meats that samurai can consume without dishonoring themselves. Certain uji may be more lax about these customs (especially Hida, Shinjo, and Yoritomo). Samurai rarely touch each other as it is, and a samurai’s hands usually fall upon the skin of another during sports, combat, athletic activity, or intimate activity. When it is necessary to touch

someone, it is either upon the hands or the clothes alone. If a samurai touches dead flesh, consider the following:

Those who have touched dead flesh are unclean until the proper rituals are done. Dying in such a state is sure to guarantee rebirth as hinin. Hinin are normally required to move dead bodies, and samurai are wise to let them do their job.

Entering any religious site (such as a ashram, seido, or shinden) requires at least some nominal purification, such as washing the hands or mouth with water. Failure to do so costs you 1 Honor Point.

War itself is considered very honorable, so blood and sweat that covers a samurai during battle is not dishonorable. Afterwards, though, a samurai is expected to undergo cleansing rituals, both to clean their body and wash the death from their soul. Having a descendant skilled in war is no dishonor to the ancestors, but having one who carries the stench of death with him is. Entering a new Scene without having cleaned off the detritus of war costs you 1 Honor Rank.

If a samurai touches dead flesh intentionally, he is reduced to Honor Rank 0 immediately. This may be mitigated by certain factors, such as Skill uses by certain samurai who are exempt from Honor Losses while using the Skill. Also, if it is required to otherwise act honorably, the samurai loses only 1 Honor Rank, but gains no Honor Points he would normally gain for the activity. Example: Hida Jo and his brother are on the field of battle. His brother dies, and there are none left alive to bury him. Hida Jo must do the honorable thing by burning his body and returning the ashes to their family. This requires him to deal with the dead flesh of his brother. He loses 1 Honor Rank, and does not gain any Honor Points he might have gained for fulfilling his duty. If he must face great danger in transporting those ashes, however, and triumphs, he would still gain the Honor Points for doing just that.

Murder: Slaying your enemy is honorable, but only in warfare, a duel, self-defense, or with the permission of your superior. Causing the death of another, especially via dishonorable means such as poison, without lawful sanction is murder. This is a violation of the Celestial Order, one of the most heinous. If you mistakenly cause the death of another of your status or higher without sanction, you lose 1 Honor Rank. If you willingly cause the death of another of your status or higher without sanction, you are reduced to Honor Rank 0. Note that his only applies to those of your station; a samurai is within his rights to slay any heimin or hinin for offending him. However that person may be under another's authority, provoking a response to the insult. And, of course, being an Act of Vice against compassion.

Blasphemy: You turn your back on a tenet of Bushido, or even the entire concept. You betray a thousand years of tradition and Honor. If you voluntarily disregard one of the Virtues of Bushido, considering it a weakness rather than strength, you lose 1 Honor Rank, and your maximum Honor Rank is reduced by 1. If this makes your maximum Honor Rank 0, you lose Honor entirely. You can't even claim to be an honorless dog. For each Virtue discarded, you no longer lose or gain Honor Points connected to it as an Act of Virtue or Vice.

Exiled/Ronin: Your sense of worth is deeply connected to your usefulness in Hachgoku society. If your uji or shinden exiles you from lands they control, you lose 1 Honor Rank. If you are made ronin, either by decree or ill fortune, or exiled by Imperial decree from Hachigoku entirely, your Honor Rank is reduced to 0.

Taint: The Shadowlands Taint has a terrible effect on the soul of its user, not only causing intense impurity but causing division between the bearer of the Taint and the rest of Hachigoku. The darkness

and despair of Jigoku has a foothold in your destiny. Whenever you cast a maho spell or gain a new Taint Rank, you lose 1 Honor Rank.

Using HonorHonor is stronger than steel. This is a mantra every samurai utters during training as a youth. It doesn't matter if you spend long hours repeating katana strikes, mastering prayers to the kami, or memorizing poetry and rhetoric for days on end. Honor is stronger than steel.

Every samurai may differ in their abilities and capabilities, but great honor can overcome liabilities preventing honorable actions, releasing their potential. Whenever you are making a roll to either resist performing an action that causes you to lose Honor Points or Ranks through coercion or manipulation (such as intimidation, seduction, mind control, or even distracting you into abandoning your post), or to accomplish an action which will gain you Honor Points or Ranks, you can attempt to channel your Honor. By spending Honor Points equal to your Honor Rank, you can add a +XkX bonus to your roll, where X is your Honor Rank.

Various Disciplines also use your Honor Rank or that of your foes for special abilities.

GloryGlory is a measure of your fame, mostly from personal accomplishment. It is subjective and can vary wildly depending on a character’s location and deeds. A renowned duelist, for instance would have a greater amount of Glory than a minor clerk in the Imperial library, even though such a position would be one of high honor. High Glory does not impose obedience from others, but it does command respect. Glory can be a burden, though, as he will often find himself recognized when he doesn’t want to be. While Glory is independent of status, it can lead to higher status; Hachigoku loves its heroes. Glory RanksLike Honor, Glory is measured in Ranks. Unlike Honor, Glory Ranks do not have a finite scale, but your Glory cannot go below Rank 0 (a complete unknown, or someone not worth respecting), nor can it exceed your highest Ring Rank. Your Glory must be not only earned, but deserved. Since your Rings represent a unity of physical, mental, and spiritual qualities divided into defined aspects, others instinctively assume that your worth (Glory) cannot exceed the general level of achievement you are capable, despite “spikes” in your magnificence.

Gaining GloryGlory Ranks are even more fluid than Honor Ranks, and somewhat more capricious. They rise and fall not only according to your actions, but by their recognition. Who sees you commit honorable or glorious acts is important, even though Glory functions much like Honor. Like with Honor, you gain or lose Glory Points, although instead of this happening immediately the change does not occur until the end of the Story. Once you have more than 10 Glory Points, your Glory Rank rises and you lose all your Glory Points, resetting at the next highest Glory Rank. This occurs as stories of your achievements begin circulating throughout Hachigoku at the end of a Season. There is no limit to your Glory Rank other than your highest Ring Rank, but if you have already reached that limit your Glory Points do not vanish at the end of the Season, but carry over into the next. If you gain or lose Glory Ranks instead of Glory Points, these changes do not affect your Glory Points.

It is easier for a lower Glory Rank character to acquire Glory Points than it is for higher Glory Rank characters. What seemed more impressive for an unknown to perform appears commonplace for a legend. And it should be more difficult, as resting on the benefits of previous success would hardly motivate someone worthy of Glory to attain greater heights.

Recognition is important for Glory. People must be able to testify about your actions, either because they witnessed them or have the authority to proclaim them. Whenever you would normally

gain or lose Glory Points, the gain or loss is affected by this. If those who witness your action are of the same caste and the same social status, the Glory Point award is not affected; you gain the normal amount. If someone who would be your superior but is of a different faction witnesses or proclaims your action, you gain additional Glory Points equal to your Glory Rank; this bonus is added at the end of the Story, and only once. If someone who is your superior and within your faction witnesses or proclaims your action, you gain additional Glory Points equal to twice your Glory Rank, and only once at the end of the Story.

There may be those who do not want their accomplishments and life to be known facts trumpeted throughout Hachigoku. This includes both those who believe that fame corrupts, and those who prefer their lives anonymous because renown would impair their ability to function, hampering their use to their daimyo or just themselves. Glory can become dangerous to both the body and soul.

If you wish to hide your worth, make sure to perform actions that affect your Glory away from witnesses. At least those who can affect it. If a heimin witnesses a samurai perform some action, either noble or shameful, not enough of those in the samurai caste will heed the story for it to affect your Glory. However, a daimyo's spies might hear the story, and pass it on to be used at the right moment. Usually the wrong moment for you. If others of your caste know, and you want no Glory, it depends on who it is. If they are of your wa, they can choose to keep it secret. If they are not of your wa or superior in status, such stories have a way of circulating regardless of your wishes. If the story is known only to someone of authority (whether in your faction or not), it is their decision whether to promote or ignore your actions publicly. Likely they will do whatever suits their purpose, hiding the acts of their spies and assassins (ad publicizing those of their enemies) while bragging about their generals and duelists (or ignoring the accomplishments of their enemies). Of course, they may simply view Glory as an impediment to purity in some fashion. Thus why so few Bayushi and Mirumoto samurai have high Glory Ranks, and why Akodo and Doji samurai often seem overinflated.

Another way to avoid Glory gains is to allow another to take credit for the action; they gain Glory Points as if they had performed the action. It must be possible for them to have performed the action, however, so you can't transfer credit for an event everyone knows they weren't involved in, or for things like increasing Discipline or Skill Ranks. You can even try to steal credit for another Glory gain with the Sincerity Skill, with the same conditions (and as an Act of Vice).

Ways to gain Glory include, but are not limited to:

Acts of Virtue: Whenever you gain Honor Points for an Act of Virtue, you may gain Glory Points equal to your Glory Rank.

Duels: While accepting a challenge gains you no Glory Points, actually issuing challenges does. You gain 1 Glory Point every time you issue a challenge to a duel legally. That legally is important; samurai who simply pick fights for the thrill of it are not seen as glorious, but reckless and willing to throw their lives away frivolously. A life that belongs to their daimyo, not to themselves. If you are victorious, you gain Glory Points equal to the amount of Honor Points you gained, plus Glory Points equal to the difference between your Glory Ranks if your opponent's was higher. If the opponent has Infamy instead of Glory, you gain additional Glory Points equal to their Infamy Rank. If this is a group competition (such as occasionally happens at court), use the highest Glory Ranks on each side.

Quests: Whenever you complete a quest given to you by a superior worth Honor Points, that superior can choose whether to give you recognition in the form of Glory Points equal to his Glory Rank.

Gifts: Receiving gifts can be a glorious thing, but only if they are exquisite and given to the right people. To earn Glory Points, a gift must be of at least Fine Quality or magical. Also, it must be given publicly and with proper etiquette to someone by someone with a higher Glory Rank. You receive

Glory Points equal to the Glory Rank of the giver.

Arts: If you make an object or performance worthy of being an artwork that would normally gain you Honor Points, you can make sure it is beheld publicly to increase your Glory. The product is worth Glory Points equal to the Rank of the Skill used. This is a single award, and it must have a wide circulation. A private performance for only a couple of guests or a work that is given as a gift to another does not qualify.

Bugei Skills: Bugei Skills are tools to increase the might and prestige of your uji, a glorious endeavor. Thus, increasing your Skill Ranks is seen as a glorious way to spend your time. Whenever you increase a Bugei Skill Rank higher than your Glory Rank with Season Actions, you gain 1 Glory Point at the end of the Season.

Discipline Okuden: The demanding dedication mastering a Discipline's Okuden requires is an incredibly glorious undertaking. Every time you gain a new Discipline Okuden, and your superiors publicly acknowledge and honor you for it, you gain an additional Glory Rank.

Promotion: As your status within an uji rises, the additional responsibilities and honors heaped upon you have their effect. Whenever you are given a significant promotion (such as a military one from hohei to nikutai, or an appointment as hatamoto) and your superiors publicly acknowledge and honor you for it, you gain an additional Glory Rank. Often a daimyo may not wish to make such a promotion known, such as if promoting you to being his spymaster. Unless he is clever, and wants you well-known as a cover for the real spymaster...

Warfare: Samurai are often referred to as “those who make war.” Engaging in warfare through battles is often considered by many to be the only “true” way to gain Glory. How, when, and how much Glory you gain is covered in the Warfare rules.

Restoring the Celestial Order: Whenever you earn Honor Points for “restoring” the Celestial Order, you may likewise earn an equal amount of Glory Points.

Losing GloryThe fall from Glory is a sharp descent compared to the long climb up. Word of your misdeeds also travels faster than stories of your former heroism. Whereas Glory Point gains do not affect your Glory Rank until the end of a Season, the losses affect you at the end of the Story. If you lose more Glory Points than you have at the end of the Story, you lose a Glory Rank. Your total Glory Points reset to 0, just as if you had gained a Glory Rank.

While Glory losses are more severe than Glory gains, however, your prestige does offer some protection. It's hard to believe that a great hero would engage in villainy. Whenever you are accused of an act that would cause you to lose Glory Points, you can make a Glory roll. Roll XkX, where X is your Glory Rank. The TN equals 5 x the potential Glory Point loss. This only aids against an accusation, not against an act extensively witnessed, or against anything shameful enough to result in a direct loss of Glory Ranks. If successful, you reduce the loss to 0 Glory Points.

Glory losses include, but are not limited to:

Acts of Vice: Whenever you lose Honor Points for an Act of Vice, you may lose Glory Points equal to your Glory Rank.

Low Skills: Whenever you use a Low Skill, you lose Glory Points if your Skill Rank is higher than your

Glory Rank. The Glory Point loss is equal to the difference between them. While whatever you were doing probably also qualified as an Act of Vice, people are less willing to believe your culpability if your aptitude is less than your reputation.

Defeat: While defeat may not necessarily be dishonorable, it certainly is criticized. If you are defeated in combat, and the highest Threat Rating, Ring Rank, or Infamy Rank of your opponents is lower than your Glory Rank, you lose Glory Points equal to twice the difference (whichever statistic is highest). Combat can include any competitive “duel” as well, including taryu-jiai or court competitions. If you are defeated by humans considered not of the samurai caste at all (ninja, heimin, gaijin, etc.), you lose a Glory Rank. You do not suffer any Glory loss if you are defeated by nonhuman creatures, such as nezumi or Shadowlands creatures. They are either beneath notice or considered horrors no normal samurai should have to face.

Demotion: If you lose an appointed position or drop in military rank by order of your superior for any shameful action that involves a loss of Glory, you lose a Glory Rank. If the demotion is accompanied by a public reprimand, you lose 2 Glory Ranks instead.

Ronin/Exile: If your uji exiles you from lands they control, you lose 2 Glory Ranks. If you are made ronin, either by decree or ill fortune, or exiled by Imperial decree from Hachigoku entirely, your Glory Rank is reduced to 0. You'll have to start rebuilding your Glory from the ground up.

Impurity: If you lose any Honor Points for impurity, you lose Glory Points equal to your Glory Rank. If you lose any Honor Ranks, you lose the same amount of Glory Ranks. If you an act of impurity would reduce you to Honor Rank 0, however, you lose no Glory. Instead, your Glory becomes Infamy.

Dark Whispers: If anyone you are connected closely with, such as a blood relative, sensei, wa member, or daimyo commits an act that costs them Glory Ranks (not Points) or gains them Infamy Ranks, you lose a Glory Rank.

InfamyYou might have gone too far. You might not have gone far enough. Whatever you have done, the road back to Glory is blocked with formidable obstacles. Hachigoku no longer judges you as moving towards or away from an honorable life; it judges you incapable of Honor. Now you are to be feared and reviled, even though your position or the extent of your villainy is phenomenal. They may still be forced to deal with you because of your status or their oaths, or even forced to contend with your legend. When your Glory becomes Infamy, you immediately lose all Glory Points and your Glory Ranks are replaced with an identical amount of Infamy Ranks.

In addition to the extreme penalty of impurity, other ways to transform Glory to Infamy include:

Murder: Any act qualifying as murder costing you Honor Ranks results also in Infamy if made public.

Ronin/Exile: Being made ronin or being exiled does not necessarily make one instantly Infamous. However, it does have an impact on your Glory and Infamy. If exiled by an uji or other faction, lose 1 Glory Rank. If exiled from all Hachigoku, you're reduced to Glory Rank 0. If made ronin, you're reduced to Glory Rank 0. If you already have Infamy, these changes in fortune do no nothing to your Infamy Rank, and if they are coupled with a change to Infamy (an Imperial decree reveals your Infamous act as reason of exile, for instance) only result in a change to Infamy Ranks equal to your former Glory Ranks, and the loss of Glory Points. If you refuse to recognize being ronin or exiled, or violate exile without the appropriate permission, your Glory (even if you have 0 Ranks) becomes

Infamy.

Taint: Any public revelation of Taint or maho use results in Infamy. Further Taint or maho use has no effect on your Infamy, however.

Acts that lose you Glory cause a loss of recognition and force of reputation as Hachigoku pulls away from you, hoping to shame you back into honorable ways by withdrawing respect. Some acts, though, are too dark, too disgusting to be brushed away or suffer mere disapproval. These crimes against the Celestial Order instead result in transforming your Glory into Infamy. Your misdeeds have gained you fame of the worst kind. You are a force to be reckoned with. People will never respect you, but they will fear you. Not only for what you have done and can do, but for the spiritual disturbance your existence confronts within the Celestial Order.

You might be okay with that.Infamy follows the same general rules as Glory; you have Infamy Ranks now, and gain or lose

Infamy Points. Once you're Glory becomes Infamy, what once was forbidden becomes a credit to your villainy. What was once praised lessens your Infamy. This is not a complete reversal, however, for while it affects almost all activities, not all changes are in exact proportion. Infamy Points follow the same rules as Glory Points, except as follows:

Acts of Virtue & Vice: Acts of Virtue now lose you Infamy Points, and Acts of Vice gain you Infamy Points.

Duels: Challenges do not gain you Infamy Points, but victories still do.

Gifts: No one praises gifts from the Infamous. No Infamy Points.

Arts: No one is inspired by the works of the Infamous (or at least, no one will admit to be). No Infamy Points.

Bugei & Low Skills: A greatly skilled villain is a villain to be feared. You gain the same Infamy Points for increasing both your Bugei and Low Skills.

Promotion: A higher status villain is certainly more Infamous. Gain Infamy Ranks as if they were Glory Ranks.

Demotion: And a lower status villain is less feared. Lose Infamy Ranks as if they were Glory Ranks.

Discipline Okuden: Gain Infamy Ranks as if they were Glory Ranks, although expect a great deal of difficulty (perhaps even refusal) from your sensei and fellow students in the dojo.

Warfare: Gain and lose Infamy as if it were Glory. A victorious general is to be feared; a losing one to be scorned.

Defeat: Lose Infamy Points as if they were Glory Points.

Ronin/Exile: Has no further effect on your Infamy.

Impurity: Has no further effect on your Infamy.

Dark Whispers: Has no further effect on your Infamy.

Regaining GloryGoing from Glory to Infamy can be startling but clear. Returning to Glory is another matter. Any act glorious enough to overcome the fear and revulsion you normally inspire is no small event. At the GM's discretion some notable act of Honor may accomplish the feat, but an act of extreme Glory lacking proportionate Honor will not transmute your Infamy. Three of the chief ways to return to Glory include:

Quest: If a superior sets you upon a quest of danger and sacrifice to cleanse you and give your faction great Glory, you may redeem your Infamy. To do so, you must gain gain enough Honor Points from completing the quest equal or greater than both your Infamy Rank and the Glory Rank of the superior who gave you the quest. Once accomplished and acknowledged, you lose all Infamy Points and your Infamy Ranks are replaced with either the same amount of Glory Ranks or with Glory Ranks equal to the superior's (whichever is lower).

Restoring the Celestial Order: If you can claim victory over any enemy to the Empire outside the Celestial Order (as defined earlier) whose Threat Rank, highest Ring Rank, or Infamy Rank exceeds your Infamy Rank, and it's acknowledged by a superior, you are redeemed. You lose your Infamy Ranks and Infamy Points, replacing them with an equal number of Glory Ranks.

Supreme Virtue: If you commit an Act of Virtue with supreme sacrifice (usually your own death), and a superior acknowledges it, you lose all Infamy Ranks and Infamy Points and replace them with an equal amount of Glory Ranks. This is often posthumous.

Using Glory & InfamyYour reputation can cause both awe and admiration, or fear and revulsion. Any of these reactions can prove useful. First, you must have made your reputation known. Whenever you make a Social roll, you can spend a Glory Points equal to your Glory Rank for a +XkX bonus, where X is your Glory Rank. While the general outcome fits your intention, the result will likely have a positive or negative feel: a samurai rushes to fulfill your request with a sense of pride, or the geisha succumbs to your seduction trembling and ashamed.

Your fame likely precedes you. Whenever two characters meet who are unknown to each other, either can attempt to gauge the identity of the other based on Glory. Doing so requires an Etiquette or Politics/Awareness roll (TN 30). They gain an Xk0 bonus to the roll, where X is equal to the Glory Rank of the one being identified.

Certain Skills and Disciplines also make use of your Glory Rank, as do the Battle and Duel rules.

SeppukuSeppuku (“chest-cutting”) is Hachigoku's most exalted form of regaining lost honor. The exact circumstances and nature of seppuku will be covered in the culture chapter. This section strictly covers the game mechanics.

You can commit seppuku after any action that loses you Honor or Glory. Or if you fervently disagree with the orders of your superior, the implication being that following them would either dishonor you or ultimately dishonor them, and seppuku would prevent such a no-win situation. In either case, you must have permission from your superior; seppuku is considered an honor that must be allowed, not a punishment one can inflict by yourself. Only if you contacting your superior is beyond your ability, such as in the midst of Warfare or deep in the countryside or wilderness, is unsanctioned

seppuku considered acceptable. You might attempt it otherwise, but doing so would be considered an Act of Vice and not Honor, even if it forestalls greater Honor or Glory losses.

It's important to note that seppuku is only for the samurai caste, and while samurai belonging to an uji do have an immediate superior and a chain of fealty and command past that, ronin do not. Any uji samurai is a superior for these purposes. Thus, a ronin must ask an uji samurai for permission. Most will be reluctant to interfere with the honor of a ronin, and refer the case to their superior, who often passes it on up to the daimyo. Stories of ronin petitioning daimyo for seppuku are actually fairly common, if not an everyday occurrence. They usually seek out smaller uji daimyo; larger uji rarely take the matter seriously enough to bother their daimyo. For a ronin to petition the Usagi daimyo for seppuku is not unheard of, but for one to petition the Akodo daimyo is presumptuous at best, insulting at worst.

There are no mechanics for the rituals surrounding the seppuku or performing seppuku itself. Doing so is a grave matter, and whether witnessed or attempted a matter that should be undertaken for dramatic effect, agreed upon by those Players concerned, and not subject to the whim of dice. Feel free to develop your own mechanics (usually a series of Kenjutsu, Honor, and Willpower rolls) if you disagree.

The aftereffects of the seppuku are another matter. If a seppuku is successfully completed (meaning either the final cut occurred without crying out shamefully, or the beheading was swift and clean before a shameful cry was uttered), all Honor and Glory losses the seppuku was requested for are canceled. And yes, a samurai condemned to being exiled or made ronin could appeal for seppuku, even to a superior from another uji.

It happens more often than you think. It is granted less often than the condemned hope.

MarriageMarriage for samurai is a glorious affair. Once a marriage takes place, the spouse with the lower Glory Rank has it raised to be 1 Glory Rank less than their partner. Whenever a spouse gains or loses Glory Ranks, the other gains or loses Glory Points equal to the new total Glory Ranks. This is a Glorious marriage.

An Infamous marriage operates a bit differently. If one spouse has Infamy, the spouse with Glory has their Glory Ranks reduced by the Infamy Ranks of their new partner. If both spouses have Infamy, then the spouse with the lower Infamy Rank has it raised to be 1 lower than their partner. Whenever the spouse gains or loses Infamy Ranks, the other gains or loses Infamy Points equal to the new total Infamy Ranks.

Marriage gives additional benefits using the Season rules, as well.

Skills

Just as everyone has Rings & Traits, everyone has Skills. However, while Traits define who and what you are, Skills define what you know and what you can do. Thus, Traits largely represent potential, while Skills portray the fulfillment of that potential. Like Traits, your aptitude is measured in Ranks, ranging from 0 (for a Skill you are utterly unfamiliar with) to 10. Skill rolls usually involve an XkY roll, where X is your Skill Rank and Y is your Trait (or Ring, Honor, etc.) Rank, in addition to any other modifiers. When such rolls are called for in the rules, be it in Skill description, Okuden descriptions, or anywhere else, they are usually written as: Skill/Trait.

Unskilled RollsOften, you will encounter situations where you do not have Ranks in the proper Skill needed for a task. Usually, you can attempt the task anyway. This is considered an Unskilled roll, and only very

complicated Skills or Emphases will bar you from making an Unskilled roll. When making such a roll, you make an XkX roll, where X is the Rank of the appropriate Trait (Ring, Honor, etc.). Your dice do not explode, nor can you make any Raises or benefit from any Free Raises. Okuden and Kiho can never be used with Unskilled rolls.

If you have only 1 or 2 Ranks in a Skill, you can choose to make the roll Unskilled; you're still incompetent enough to succeed by accident. However, if you have 3 or more Ranks, you must make normal Skill rolls; you have conformed to the Skill's accepted and conditioned methods by then, and there's no going back.

Skill GroupsThe array of Skills are grouped into four general categories, based on what value society places on each: Bugei, High, Low, and Merchant. Some are considered glorious or honorable for samurai; others are disgraceful to know or use. Some Skills may even belong to one Skill Group normally, but certain uses or knowledge by a certain type of person may make it considered a different Skill Group (such as a High Skill used in a dishonorable manner, making it a Low Skill in that situation).

Bugei Skills: Bugei Skills are most often favored by bushi, metsuke apprehending criminals, and other combat-oriented members of the samurai caste. They represent weapon skills and other physical, combative actions. Great skill in such areas is considered glorious.

High Skills: High Skills are most favored by courtiers, artisans, and other socially interactive samurai. They cover a variety of social, artistic, and scholarly skills. Great skill in such areas is considered honorable.

Low Skills: Low Skills are considered shameful to practice or even know. Samurai do not practice such things... at least, not publicly.

Merchant Skills: An odd middle ground between High and Low Skills, Merchant Skills are not considered inherently dishonorable. They are practiced by most of Hachigoku's population, but are too “dirty” for samurai to associate with, except in just the right circumstances.

Skill SubgroupsSubgroups are focused more on application and less on cultural concerns, and vary more their importance. Every Skill belongs to a Group, but not to a Subgroup. Different Subgroups function more like “tags” that interact with other mechanics, such as Okuden or Qualities, or regulate some other special rule among select Skills. Even if a Skill is not “tagged” as a certain Subgroup, but shares a term in its name, it remains in that Subgroup. Thus for the Lore Subgroup, it is a Lore Skill if that's part of its name, such as Shadowlands Lore.

Bujutsu Skills: Any Skill that directly involves the use of a weapon in combat is a Bujutsu Skill. In addition to its normal combat use, a Skill / Perception roll can determine a weapon’s Quality. Do not use this to give yourself an unreasonable advantage, because only a wanker would use a Raise to declare that his opponent is suddenly wielding a Poor Quality katana. Most Bujutsu Skills are Bugei Skills.

Artisan Skills: These Skills involve creating objects of permanent art. They differ from Craft Skills in that the items they create have no obvious practical use, other than sheer beauty. They can, however, be combined with Craft Skills to produce items both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Most Artisan Skills are High Skills.

Craft Skills: Craft Skills involve making permanent, useful items. Craft Skills differ from Artisan Skills in that they create objects for a practical purpose. Any Okuden or Quality that applies to an Artisan Skill can apply to a Craft Skill, as long as it is only used to make the item more beautiful. Most Craft Skills are Merchant Skills.

Karate Skills: Any Skill used in unarmed combat is considered a Karate (“Empty Hand”) Skill.

This is used mostly by gakusho and heimin, but even most samurai are given some rudimentary jiujutsu training, and sumai techniques are considered very honorable.

Lore Skills: Lore Skills involve learning and knowledge, usually resulting from the study of centuries of accumulated study.

Performance Skills: Similar to artisan Skills, the goal of a Performance Skill is to bring beauty to the world. Use of such a Skill does not usually leave behind a permanent item.

Social Skills: Any Skill that involves non-physical interaction with another person is a Social Skill, and its use is a Social Skill roll. Any Opposed Rolls involving Mental Traits (Awareness, Intelligence, Perception, or Willpower) of a non-violent nature, even if it involves Skills that are not normally Social Skills, are also Social Skill rolls.

Mastery AbilitiesCertain Skills have Mastery Abilities, bonus abilities granted by high Skill Ranks. All Mastery Abilities are cumulative unless noted otherwise. In addition to an individual Skill’s listed abilities, all Skills have the following Mastery Abilities:

Rank 3 (Kohai): You are no longer a novice at the Skill, and can be expected to have some basic proficiency. More advanced practitioners will consider you kohai (“junior”), and you can longer opt to make an Unskilled roll. This and further Ranks also contribute towards your Insight.

Rank 5 (Sempai): You are a respected practitioner, and others (except for sensei) will call you sempai (“senior”). You gain a Free Raise when using this Skill.

Rank 7 (Sensei): You are considered a master, often referred to as sensei (“teacher”). The number of Raises you make when using this Skill are not limited by your Void Ring. Further, you gain 2 Free Raises when using the Skill.

Emphasis AbilitiesMost Skills have Emphases listed with them. An Emphasis gives you specialized knowledge or ability in a narrow area of expertise within the Skill, although it may or may not be necessary to use an ability of the Skill. A roll involving an Emphasis will be written as: Skill (Emphasis)/Trait.

Emphasis Cap: You cannot have more Emphases in a Skill than you have Ranks in that Skill. Skill Bonus: When using a Skill in an area where its Emphasis directly applies, you can add

your Skill Rank to the total of your Skill roll. If you have more than one Emphasis that applies to the roll, you still only gain this bonus once.

Skirmish Maneuvers: Several Emphases (especially among the Bugei) reference combat maneuvers, such as dodging or punching.

Skill Okuden: Some Skills, especially Karate Skills, have Okuden of there own, similar to Discipline Okuden; they require a certain Mastery Level to learn and often require knowledge of the Okuden taught below them. Such Okuden are treated both as Okuden as regards other rules and as an Emphasis (including granting Skill bonuses whenever you use the Okuden), but are not Okuden for the purposes of Insight Rank or Discipline Rank limits.

Emphasis Group & Subgroup: Any Emphasis in a Skill is considered part of the same Skill Group or Subgroup as its parent Skill, but not always. If an emphasis says it is considered a different Skill Group (or even Subgroup) when used by different characters or in certain situations, treat it as the appropriate type only when in use, such as in terms of affecting the character’s Honor, Glory, etc.

Skill Descriptions

Anatomy (Low Skill) (Intelligence/Lore)Emphases: Autopsy, Diagnosis, Torture, Specific Nonhuman

You have a working knowledge of how bodies are put together. This sort of knowledge is generally reserved for eta, since excessive contact with flesh is necessary to truly master this Skill. The Skill can be used to determine the manner in which a person died. It may also be used to diagnose a living person; roll Anatomy (Diagnosis)/Perception (TN 15) to gain a Free Raise on a subsequent Medicine or Atemi roll with the same target. Additional Free Raises are gained per Raise.

Emphasis Abilities: Torture: Similar to Investigation, this Skill allows you to break

down the willpower of your victims to more easily interrogate them, usually involving tools of pain and humiliation. You can spend 10 minutes to torture your victim, making an opposed Intimidation/Intelligence roll (although a torturer may resort to Strength as brute force, or Awareness by setting up a manipulative situation) against the victim's opposed Earth roll. If successful, you receive the benefits of interrogation as if you had used the Investigation Skill. Also, you can make repeated attempts to get the target to tell you what you want to hear (of course, they could just be telling you what you want to hear to make the pain stop...). You do not necessarily have to physically commit the torture itself (though to use a physical Trait you must do so), as it usually involves sweat and blood, making it dishonorable, but you still must directly handle the interrogation.

Specific Nonhuman: Select a specific race (kenku, naga, nezumi, oni, etc.). You may not use any application of this Skill on a nonhuman race without this Emphasis.

Animal Handling (Merchant Skill) (Awareness)Emphases: Specific Animal

Animal Handling covers the care, evaluating, and training of animals, mostly domesticated mammals such as horses, dogs, cats, cattle, goats, etc., but can include falcons and even tropical fighting fish. With Battle Skill Ranks as well, you can train animals for battle, although only dogs and horses are really suitable animals for warfare. At first, you can only train an animal to follow or stay (TN 15), but with increasing Mastery Abilities you can train the animal to perform more complicated feats.

It also allows you to treat the injuries of animals under your care, as per the rules for healing injuries under Medicine. In regards to horses, this Skill acts as the Bajutsu Skill except for Emphases and Mastery Abilities.

Skill Description Format

Skill Name (Skill Group) (Most Common Trait Used/Subgroup)Emphases: If the Skill has any Emphases, these will be listed here. Any Emphasis that is labeled “Specific” infers a myriad list of different Emphases of the appropriate type, examples of which are usually found in the Skill’s description.

Description: What the Skill and its Emphases do.

Mastery Abilities: Any abilities gained from higher Ranks in the Skill.

Emphasis Abilities: Any abilities listed here require the Emphasis, and cannot usually be attempted without such knowledge.

Note: If the Skill does not have an applicable entry (such as Subgroup, Mastery Abilities, etc.), the entry will be absent.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 3: You can tame a common domesticated animal (TN 20). Rank 5: You can teach an animal to attack or perform a complex trick (TN 25). Rank 7: You can tame an animal that cannot normally be domesticated (bears, lions, wolves) if

you have the proper Emphasis (TN 40). Rank 10: You can command any animal you have trained with only subtle body language

(requiring no action or speech on your part to command them).

Artisan (High Skill) (Awareness/Artisan)Emphases: Bonsai, Gardening, Ikebana, Origami, Painting, Sculpting, Tattooing, Specific Art

This is a catch-all category for a variety of different Skills, each covered under different Emphases. Unlike most Skills, you only have skilled knowledge and ability in those arts you have an Emphasis for. However, your Skill Rank applies to all the arts you practice with your Emphases, representing a broad arts education and inclination across different media.

Emphasis Abilities: Bonsai: Miniature tree tending. Gardening: Covers meditative rock gardens, koi ponds, and garden flora. Ikebana: The Hachigoku art of flower-arranging. If you have the Doji Cipher Emphasis (see the

Calligraphy Skill), you also know the secret flower language of the Doji uji, using arrangements to communicate messages. Only Doji samurai are taught this code. To encode information, you usually do not need to make a roll, unless the information is complex.

Origami: Origami is the art of paper-folding, where delicate and intricate forms are created by folding square pieces of rice paper into artistic shapes.

Painting: You are skilled and painting and drawing. Hachigoku painters tend to use strong, thin lines drawn in ink, focusing mostly on battles or breathtaking landscapes, and paint in watercolor. Painting is generally categorized in one of two distinct styles; there is the premeditated art of sculpting, brushing, or woodblock creation that designs intricate and stunning displays, or the impromptu art of wayo, which involves the brushing of kanji and other relatively simple designs in front of an audience within a limited time span. Though some wayo are less spontaneous and other paintings are quickly done as wayo, the two styles tend to be rather distinct. Paintings can not only be given as a gift (like poetry or ikebana), but can also be honorably sold or traded for favors from others. Generally, a painting has koku value of the artisan’s Artisan (Painting) Skill Rank, +1 koku per Raise, and +1 koku per Season Action spent crafting it. You cannot spend more Season Actions on a single painting than your Void Ring, however, but they can be combined or divided among any number of Seasons you like. Creating a worthwhile painting takes at least 1 week, and the artisan must make an Artisan (Painting)/Perception roll with TN 15 to ensure the artwork is worth anything.

Sculpting: You are skilled at making statues and other artistic imagery in permanent forms, usually in stone, bronze, clay, or even jade. Sculptures can not only be given as a gift (like poetry or ikebana), but can also be honorably sold or traded for favors from others. Generally, a sculpture has a koku value of the artisan’s Artisan (Sculpting) Skill Rank, +1 koku per Raise, and +1 koku per Season Action spent crafting it. You cannot spend more Season Actions on a single sculpture than your Void Ring, however they can be combined or divided among any number of Seasons you like. Creating a worthwhile sculpture takes at least 1 week, and the artisan must make an Artisan (Sculpting)/Perception roll with TN 15 to ensure the artwork is worth anything.

Tattooing: The art of tattooing is a very specialized Emphasis. It is respected only by a few uji, and among the lower classes, especially criminal organizations. Its use is considered a Low Skill.

Specific Art: There are many other arts practiced in Rokugan. Do some Asian research, be creative, and get the GM’s approval.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 1: You gain a free Emphasis in the Skill.

Atemi (High Skill) (Intelligence/Karate & Lore)Emphases: Healing, Specific Okuden

This is the art of nerve and blood flow manipulation taught to many who study the internal arts of the body. It can be used both as a healing Skill and as a deadly form of hand-to-hand combat using precise nerve strikes. As such, it is in both the Karate and Lore Subgroups. Atmei requires at least 5 Ranks of the Medicine Skill to learn.

When using it as a healing art, you can reduce the Wound Penalties of a target by making an Atemi (Healing)/Intelligence roll (TN 20 + 5 per the Wound Penalty of the target). Thus, someone with a -4k0 Wound Penalty would require a TN 40 to heal. The Wound Penalty is reduced by your Skill Ranks, and any bleeding from the targeted area stops. The effects last for a number of Scenes equal to your Skill Rank, doubling the duration per Raise, and can only be attempted once per target per day.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: The duration of your healing effect lasts hours instead of minutes. Rank 7: You can now reduce Wound Penalties by twice you Skill Rank. Rank 10: You can now attempt atemi healing on a patient who has not been treated in the past

hour.

Emphasis Abilities: Falling Star Strike (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. You make an Atemi/Fire attack roll, a fingertip

strike causing no damage. If you strike successfully, the target is blinded. A victim of this strike may spend an Action and a Void Point to make a Fire Ring roll (TN your Atemi Skill Rank x 5) to regain his sight. Alternatively, another strike can restore the sight, even from another.

Freezing the Lifeblood (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. This is one of the most basic atemi, where you make an Atemi/Water attack roll, usually a fingertip strike at the throat, spine, or heart, causing no damage. If you strike successfully, the target is paralyzed. A victim of this strike may spend an Action and a Void Point to make a Water Ring roll (TN your Atemi Skill Rank x 5) to escape the paralysis. Alternatively, another strike can restore movement, even from another.

The Thunder’s Clap (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. You make an Atemi/Air attack roll nerve strike. If successful, the target is struck deaf for 24 hours. Anyone who knows this Okuden and has either the Cleansing Spirit Kiho or Chi Protection Okuden can remove this effect by meditating and applying nerve strikes for 1 round.

Stain Upon the Soul (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 2 Okuden. This is a fingertip strike causing an imbalance of Air within the target that flares up as pain beyond agony. You make an Atemi/Air attack roll, causing no damage. If successful, the air imbalance clouds the target's sense with pain, bestowing a -Xk0 penalty to all rolls, where X is your Air Ring Rank. This has a cumulative effect, so multiple strikes increase the penalty. The victim can spend an Action and a Void Point to realign his Air by making an Air Ring roll (TN your Atemi Skill x 5).

Alternatively, another strike can remove the pain, even from another. This Okuden is considered a perversion of Shinsei's teaching by the Shinsei no Shinden and all such practitioners are reviled, despised, and outlawed. Learning the Okuden is not inherently dishonorable, because many learn them in order to better heal their effects, but using them makes this a Low Skill.

Chi Protection (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 2 Okuden. This a strong healing use of atemi. You apply many of the same nerve strikes and joint manipulation movements used in the infamous Death Touch over the course of 10 minutes to a target, but for the opposite effect.. At the end of this time, you must spend a Void Point and make an Atemi/Water (TN 30). If successful, you heal a number of Wound Levels on the target equal to your Water Ring rank, +1 Wound Level per 2 Raises. You may use this technique on yourself. This technique can also be used to negate the effects of any other atemi strikes. Simply strike the affected character with a fingertip strike (Atemi/Water attack roll if necessary), spend a Void Point, and make an Atemi/Water roll (TN original atemi user's Atemi Skill Rank x 5). If successful, the atemi effect is immediately ended. See the Death Touch Emphasis for special rules about healing it.

Death Touch (Special Technique): Requires 7 Ranks and 3 Okuden. This is the deadliest and most feared of atemi strikes. You deliver the strike with a gentle touch, only the faintest brush of the fingertips, no more, no less. A gentle touch is required, thus while it requires an attack roll it does not appear to be an attack; it appears as only an accidental or friendly gesture. You make an Atemi/Void attack roll with 3 Raises. This cannot be done with a Full Attack action. If successful, you must then spend Void Points equal to the target's Void Ring. Nothing happens at first. In fact, the victim may be unaware that anything at all has happened. Soon, though, the curse takes effect. The body begins to rot. Wounds fester. Nightmares ruin his sleep. The victim begins to heal as if his Stamina were 1 lower, and all healing magic or Skills require 2 additional Raises to be effective. At each sunset and sunrise (not literally, but effectively) he loses Wounds equal to your Atemi Skill Rank that cannot be healed by any means until the Death Touch is removed. There are 2 known cures for the Death Touch. The first is for it to be removed via Death Touch by whomever applied it. This requires another Atemi/Void roll (TN 15). The other is for it be removed with the Chi Protection Okuden by anyone skilled in its use. This is an arduous and taxing process, requiring a week of intense meditation and acupuncture. At the end of that time, the healer makes an Atemi/Water roll (TN 5 x the Death Touch user's Atemi Skill Rank and Void Ring Rank), and subtracts the victim's Wound Penalties from the total of his roll. If the healer knows the Death Touch as well, he gains a +2k2 bonus to this roll. If he succeeds, the effects of the Death Touch immediately end. If he fails, the Death Touch inflicts an additional 2 Wounds every time it inflicts Wounds. This Okuden is considered a perversion of Shinsei's teaching by the Shinsei no Shinden and all such practitioners are reviled, despised, and outlawed. Learning the Okuden is not inherently dishonorable, because many learn them in order to better heal their effects, but using them makes this a Low Skill.

Athletics (Bugei Skill) (Varies)Emphases: Acrobatics, Climbing, Kemari, Leaping, Running, Suieijutsu, Swimming, Throwing

Athletics covers a variety of physical tasks, from running to the sport of kemari. The Traits used depend upon the situation. Some uses of Athletics are especially useful as Group rolls. Climbing is a Group roll if all the characters are securely linked with sturdy ropes. Swimming can be a Group roll to keep another person afloat. A kemari team makes Group rolls opposed by the other team.

Emphasis Abilities: Acrobatics: This is the art of tumbling and agility, and acrobats are found throughout the

Empire's courts as entertainers. Those who hone their bodies to such an extant also find it useful in more stealthy pursuits or feats of athleticism. This also counts as a Performance Skill.

Kemari: Kemari is a sport where one team plays against another, keeping a ball aloft between them using anything except for their hands. It is a popular game, made more difficult by the fact that all players must be in full court dress.

Suieijutsu: You must have the Swimming Emphasis to have this Emphasis. This is the art of combative swimming; with it you can swim in armor (negating the Athletics TN penalty from light armor, but not heavy armor), carry heavy burdens (weapons, banners, flags, etc.), and even use your melee weapons when submerged and ranged attacks when partially submerged.

Bajutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility)Emphases: Gallop, Jumping, Norikata, Suibajutsu, Specific Beast, Specific Horse

Bajutsu is the art of horsemanship. It encompasses a host of skills related to combat in addition to just knowing how to ride, for calvary is an important part of warfare in Hachigoku. There are four distinct breeds of horse in Hachigoku: the Hachigoku pony, the Hachigoku riding horse, the Shinjo war-horse, and the Utaku war-horse. A Rank in this Skill automatically makes you knowledgeable in riding all four, but you can still take an Empahsis for each one to increase your ability.

Norikata is the correct manner of mounting, including training in proper posture and loin strength to ride long distances. It is useful for long journeys and quick mounting.

Certain acrobatic moves can be attempted on horseback, but require both Raises and an Athletics Skill Rank equal to the Raises required, including:

Mounting a steed without using stirrups. (1 Raise) Riding bareback without using reins. (2 Raises) Jumping off the horse and landing ready to act. (2 Raises) Riding the steed by balancing on one stirrup. (3 Raises) Jumping on the steed and setting it into motion as a Free Action. (4 Raises) Jumping from one moving steed to another. (5 Raises)

Mastery Abilities: Rank 1: You can fight while mounted. Rank 3: You can use the Defense Skill or make a Full Attack while mounted. Rank 5: Your steed uses your TN to be Hit, if it is higher. Rank 7: You gain a Free Raise on attacks against unmounted opponents while mounted.

Emphasis Abilities: Suibajutsu: “Water horse-art,” the art of maneuvering your mount through the water, be it

fording a stream or swimming a river. Remaining mounted while moving through water more than chest-high requires this Emphasis.

Specific Beast: Man can ride more beasts than just horses in Hachigoku. Examples include hellbeasts, dragons, foo dogs, and other fantastic creatures. Each exotic beast requires a separate Emphasis.

Battle (Bugei Skill) (Water/Lore)Emphases: Logistics, Skirmish, Strategy, Specific Terrain, Specific Enemy

You have made a study of warfare, of strategy and tactics. Not only do you use this Skill when using the Warfare rules, but it grants you the knowledge of how Hachigoku's armies are organized and maintained as well as guiding you in choosing terrain for skirmishes. You may spend 3 rounds studying an area for terrain advantages. If you do so, you gain a Free Raise on any skirmish or battle fought in that area for the next day. Also, if enemies are lying in wait, you can make a Battle/Perception roll opposed by their Stealth/Agility roll to detect them (instead of the normal Investigation/Perception roll). You may make Raises to determine more information about your enemies (number, what weapons they’re using, and if they are aware of your presence).

Emphasis Abilities: Battle Lore: You can use this Skill as a Lore Skill as it applies to Hachigoku's history of

warfare, including famous wars, battles, and generals, and their tactics. Specific Enemy: Choose a specific faction (uji, shinden, otokodate, etc.). You gain the benefits

of this Emphasis at all times when facing this enemy in combat.

Bojutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Parry, Specific Weapon

You are skilled with staves and small clubs. The skill covers the following weapons: bo staff, jo stick, machi-kanshisha pipe, and shikomi-zue (when in staff-only form). These weapons are most often used by peasants and gakusho, but wandering samurai are known to enjoy their simplicity and unassuming nature.

Parrying an attack may damage the weapon depending on its quality. See the Combat rules for more information.

Calligraphy (High Skill) (Intelligence/Artisan)Emphases: Forgery, Keigo, Scrolls, Specific Cipher

Calligraphy is not just penmanship, it is an ancient and honored form of art. You are skilled at not only writing, but at writing and reading beautiful and complex forms of intricate calligraphy.

Emphasis Abilities: Forgery: You are able to forge official documents, letters, etc. You must have access to the

original item or be intimately familiar with its design before copying. Your Calligraphy/Agility roll sets the TN for attempts to discern its fakeness, using either Investigation/Perception or Calligraphy/Perception.

Keigo: This Emphasis concentrates on the official style of calligraphy used by the courts of Rokugan on all official documents.

Scrolls: Shugenja use Calligraphy to copy spells onto scrolls. Creating a spell scroll requires 1 hour per Mastery Level of the spell and a Calligraphy/Perception roll (TN 5 x the Mastery Level of the spell). You gain a Free Raise if you have the spell as an Innate Ability and another the Free Raise if a scroll of an Innate Ability spell is being used in the copying.

Specific Cipher: All uji have their own special cipher, used on shugenja scrolls and other private texts. This cipher cannot be written or read without the proper Emphasis, and are closely guarded secrets. This becomes a Low Skill if you display knowledge of another uji's cipher other than your own without their permission. Teaching an uji cipher to an outsider without the permission of the Roju or your daimyo is an extremely dishonorable act.

Chisaijutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Parry, Signals, Specific Okuden, Specific Weapon

Chisaijutsu is the art of the warfan. This is usually either the iron-rimmed tessen, a large fan used in warfare to signal the troops (and usable as a weapon in a dire situation), or a bladed warfan, an otherwise normal paper or silk fan reinforced with metal ribs and tipped with small, razor-sharp tips. The bladed warfan is often seen as an exotic weapon, and frowned upon in a general court setting.

The iron fan is also used as a martial arts form by the Order of the Tessen, a ronin otokodate that polices the city of Toshi Ranbo. The art has evolved beyond the city, and now it is not unheard of to find ronin in other parts of Rokugan who have mastered the art, often called the Iron Butterfly Art.

Emphasis Abilities: Signals: You can also use this Skill to use a tessen to pass along military commands on the

battlefield, using your Intelligence. Iron Wings of the Butterfly (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. When wielding tessen in each hand

and on Full Defense, you add twice your Skill Rank to your TN to be Hit. Iron Wings Distract (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks. When wielding tessen, you gain a Free Raise

on disarm attempts for each tessen wielded (maximum two). Iron Wings Envelop (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks. You may spend a Void Point in reaction to a

single melee or ranged attack, and immediately make an Active Defense against the attack with a Chisaijutsu/Awareness roll.

Commerce (Merchant Skill) (Awareness)Emphases: Appraisal, Mathematics, Merchant

You are skilled in bartering, merchandising, and handling currency. It is not considered seemly for a samurai to personally indulge in financial matters, but many samurai adopt this Skill to oversee their vassals properly. You can use Commerce to haggle (Merchant), to estimate the price of a valuable item (Appraisal), or when calculating how much tax you owe the Emperor (Mathematics).

This is considered a Low Skill if a samurai is seen conducting trade in public. Exceptions are made for minor transactions such as buying a meal, purchasing a gift, or arranging lodging. Also, a samurai can avoid this Honor Loss by “coordinating” a transaction, then turning over the actual task to an underling.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: You can make a Commerce (Merchant)/Awareness roll (TN 20) to receive 10% more

when selling an item, assuming the buyer can afford it. Only one merchant can apply this bonus to any given transaction.

Rank 7: You can make a Commerce (Merchant)/Awareness roll (TN 20) to pay 20% less than usual when paying for an item. Only one merchant can apply this bonus to any given transaction.

Rank 10: As per the Rank 5 and Rank 7 ability, but you receive 20% more and pay 30% less.

Craft (Merchant Skill) (Intelligence)Emphasis: Armorer, Bowmaker, Weaponsmith, Specific Craft or Trade

You are skilled in certain areas of expertise. This Skill does not represent an understanding of all trades covered by Craft, but only a particular. Specific crafts and trades must be taken as separate Emphases,

even though your general expertise as a disciplined craftsman applies across the various fields as a single Skill Rank. Whether a Craft Skill is a Merchant Skill or Low Skill depends upon the nature of the trade. Any trade that deals with something unclean or dead, such as Craft (Butcher) or Craft (Leatherworker), is a Low Skill.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 1: You gain a free Emphasis in the Skill.

Emphasis Abilities: Armorer: The crafting of armor, from ashigaru armor to heavy armor. This is a High Skill for

samurai. Bowmaker: The crafting of bows, from daikyu to yumi. Tsuruchi daikyu can only be crafted in

the Tsuruchi Han. This is a High Skill for samurai, but you must have the appropriate Bujutsu Skill for the weapon.

Weaponsmith: This is the crafting of weapons, although you must have the corresponding Bujutsu Skill for the appropriate weapon. This is a High Skill for samurai, unless it is used to create weapons covered by Nofujutsu (peasant weapons) or Ninjutsu (ninja weapons).

Specific Craft or Trade: Any realm of crafting and work which is not covered by a specific Skill can be represented by an appropriate Craft Skill Emphasis. Common Hachigoku trades include: Baker, Blacksmith, Brewer, Butcher, Carpenter, Ceramics, Chandler, Confectioner, Cook, Cooper, Distiller, Dyer, Gardener, Glassblower, Innkeeper, Jeweler, Masseur, Miller, Paper Maker, Perfumer, Potter, Sail Maker, Seamstress, Shipwright, Tailor, Weaver, etc.

Defense (Bugei Skill) (Agility)Emphases: Cover, Dodge, Guard

You can choose the Full Defense action. You do nothing until next action but avoid getting hurt, using your reflexes, agility, and/or parrying abilities to their fullest. You make a Defense/Agility roll, adding the total to your TN to be Hit until your next action. You can also use this Skill as an Active Defense. For more information on Active Defense and Full Defense, see the Combat rules.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 3: You may move (although you cannot take complex actions) without losing the benefits

of a Full Defense. Rank 5: You may perform complex actions (but not attacks, Active Defenses, or Skill Rolls)

without losing the benefits of a Full Defense. Rank 7: You can perform Active Defenses without losing the benefits of a Full Defense. Rank 10: If it is the first round of combat, you can immediately take a Full Defense Action

before Initiative is rolled.

Divination (High Skill) (Awareness/Lore)Emphases: Astrology, Kawaru, Omens, Oracles

You are skilled at using divination techniques outside the normal domain of shugenja magic to catch a glimpse of the future. Often dismissed as “peasant magic,” they have become quite popular and are often practiced by samurai or even used by shugenja (who have much more reliable techniques) to supplement their magic, usually for entertainment value. Astrology is identifying heavenly bodies and constellations. Kawaru uses a series of hexagrams cast using stones, sticks, or coins.

Once per day, you can make a Divination/Awareness roll (TN 15). If successful, you may define a near future fate of some character or organization, although divinations of this type are notoriously vague or cryptic. And if it is not positive to those more powerful you, trouble no doubt awaits. You may spend a Void Point to make an additional attempt.

Emphasis Abilities: Omens: You are not limited in your use of this Skill using omens, but you must make a Skill roll

every time the GM tells you you’ve seen a portentous omen. These omens usually take the form of celestial observations, weather, or birds. Occasionally it requires the interpretation of supernatural events or current events.

Drunken Mantis Jiujutsu (Low Skill) (Agility/Karate)Emphases: Block, Grapple, Punch, Sweep, Specific Okuden

An unusual hand-to-hand martial arts native to the Isles of Silk and Spice, the style emphasizes random, lurching movements and unexpected attacks. While drinking massive amounts of alcohol is not required to utilize the special techniques, it is often done anyway, and it is required to learning and training in the art. As such, resistance to alcohol is actually a detriment to the Skill, so those with the Able Drinker Advantage may not learn this Skill. Due to the reputation of its practitioners as loud-mouthed drunkards, this is a Low Skill, but for ronin or those trained in any Yoritomo Discipline it is treated as a Bugei Skill.

Fore more information on this Skill, see the Hand-to-Hand Combat rules.

Emphasis Abilities: Slippery When Wet (Okuden): When an opponent attacks you, you can make an Active Defense,

rolling Drunken Mantis Jiujutsu/Reflexes. If successful, you either stagger back 10’ or fall prone, giving you a temporary +5 bonus to your TN to be Hit until your next Action.

Monkey Lunge (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks and 1 Okuden. You can gain 2 Free Raises on an unarmed attack roll, but immediately fall prone at your opponent’s feet.

Roll the Drunk (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 2 Okuden. If you are prone, you can make an Active Defensive using Drunken Mantis Jiujutsu/Agility against an attack. If successful, you grab the opponent’s body or weapon, using it as leverage to roll to your feet. If your attack him with an unarmed attack before his next Action, you gain a Free Raise, or 2 Free Raises if you attempt a grapple.

Iron Sake, Iron Skin (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 3 Okuden. You can spend a Void Point to gain a Carapace rating equal to your Insight Rank +2 when attacked (after the attack roll, before the damage roll) until the end of the Phase, then choose to stagger back 10’ or fall prone after the attack. This can be used simultaneously with the Slippery When Wet Okuden. You must have recently drank at least a bottle of sake to use this ability.

Fortunes Favor the Fool (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 4 Special Techniques. You can spend an Action to begin stumbling about and crashing into things, moving at least 10’ but returning to your starting point. Until your next Action (or the end of the Round), you gain a +10 bonus to your TN to be Hit. This applies only to attackers who witness your frenzied, confused movements.

Engineering (Merchant Skill) (Intelligence/Craft)Emphases: Architecture, Clockworks, Construction, Siege, Traps, Specific Faction

You are skilled at building, repairing, and analyzing structures and other constructions. This includes understanding and replicating clockwork wonders from the Burning Sands and siege weapons. Building fortifications, whether mere earthen walls or castle fortifications, has a TN of 5 x the Fortification Rating of the structure. Spending an hour outside of a structure and making a Engineering (Siege)/Perception roll (TN 20) grants you a Free Raise when using any siege weaponry or explosives on that structure, and each additional Raise grants an additional Free Raise.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: You gain an additional Free Raise when using siege weapons or explosives against a

structure after successfully studying it. Rank 7: You gain an additional Free Raise when using siege weapons or explosives against a

structure after successfully studying it.

Emphasis Abilities: Traps: This is the ability to construct and detect traps. You make Traps/Intelligence rolls when

constructing traps and Traps/Perception (or Investigation/Perception) rolls when detecting them. Disarming a trap requires at least a minute for simple traps and a Traps/Agility or Intelligence roll (whichever is lower) vs. the original crafter’s construction roll.

Etiquette (High Skill) (Awareness)Emphases: Conversation, Diplomacy, Introduction, Kuenai, Tea Ceremony

You understand the customs and manners of Hachigoku's samurai, knowing what to say and how to say it. Demonstrating a lack of concern for etiquette is a mark of low character, and a serious loss of face. When talking to a samurai whose Glory Rank exceeds your own or your Skill Rank, you must make an Etiquette/Awareness roll, with a TN of 5 x the difference between your Glory Ranks. If the roll fails, you lose Honor and Glory Points equal to the Glory Rank of the speaker. If the roll succeeds, you need not make the same roll again for that particular samurai unless they have a spectacular change of fortune; this is intentionally vague, for certainly a military promotion might not cause another social rift, but elevation to Fortune status would. This can be used as a Group roll, usually to help a boorish companion avoid embarrassing himself.

You are also adept at small talk and other forms of conversation. A successful Etiquette/Awareness roll (TN 15) allows you to find an inoffensive topic to chat about. This can be a pleasant way to past the time, but can also distract listeners while allies perform tasks nearby. Raises must be used if the target is suspicious, and a highly suspicious target can break off the conversation any time, although not without looking foolish and arrogant.

Emphasis Abilities: Kuenai: This is the equivalent of the Etiquette Skill when dealing with the lower castes, and

gives you the knowledge of the customs and slang of the hinin and heimin. This is a considered a Low Skill for samurai, but not for ronin.

Tea Ceremony: The tea ceremony is far from simply brewing tea. It requires some time to complete, and an appropriate ritual location (a carefully tended garden, or a noble enclosure with a meditation chamber). It is a detailed ritual, designed to free the mind of outside concerns, thus liberating and cleansing it of distracting and impure thoughts. It takes about half an hour for you to perform, and requires a Meditation/Void Ring roll (TN 20). If successful, you and all the guests replenish a single Void Point. This is a Group roll, and cannot cover more guests than your Void Ring. Use of this Emphasis is a Performance Skill.

Explosives (Low Skill) (Intelligence/Craft)Emphases: Firearms, Fuses, Kagaku

“Gaijin pepper” (gunpowder) has been outlawed in Rokugan for centuries, and is often seen as more vile than maho. The fact that not all explosives use gunpowder is immaterial at best. This Skill is considered High Skill for Agasha samurai, but only if used to create kagaku (“fireworks”) or similar nonviolent items, and not used as weapons against an enemy.

Still, you are skilled at making explosives that do more than provide mere entertainment. Your chemical concoctions create destruction and wreak havoc. This is a dangerous Skill, and not just because of custom and law. Explosives in Hachigoku lack the refinement and stability of those made by the gaijin, and thus are unstable. The TN to create explosives depends upon the Damage Rating of the explosives. An explosive with DR 1k1 has TN 10, and each additional +1k1 adds +5 to the TN. Thus, a 5k5 DR explosive has a TN 30 to create.

While the polvara, the primary explosive element, can be reasonably transported, the explosive itself must be built at its point of explosion. If you attempt to transport one over any distance, you must make an Explosives/Intelligence roll per hour with a TN of the explosives' base TN. Also, you must set the fuse of the explosives with either short-burning or long-burning fuses. When creating an explosive, add +5 to the TN of the roll if it is a short-burning fuse or +10 to the TN if it is a long-burning fuse, If it is a short-burning fuse, roll 1 die. This is the number of Phases before the explosive goes off. If it is a long-burning fuse, roll 1 die. This is the number of minutes before the explosive goes off.

You can also use the Explosives Skill to defuse explosives with an Explosives/Intelligence roll with a TN of the original Explosives/Intelligence roll used to create it.

Emphasis Abilities: Firearms: You are trained in the use gaijin firearms. Such attack rolls require an

Explosives/Perception roll. Fuses: You can add or subtract your Skill Rank to the number of Phases or minutes before the

explosives go off. Kagaku: You are able to create kagaku items and are knowledgeable about nazo bubun no

Agasha, the study of elemental observation, experimentation, and reaction. While many regard it as a magical art, its practitioners realize it is merely a study of chemicals and how they interact with one another.

Games (High Skill) (Awareness)Emphases: Dice Games, Gambling, Go, Mahjong, Sadane, Shogi, Specific Game

This is a catch-all category for a variety of intellectual games that have no pronounced mechanical effect. The Skill grants the user a wide base of knowledge for playing the popular games of Hachigoku, if not flair or expertise. Exceptional insight and ability with the game is granted by Emphases; you can play any of these games using this Skill even if you don’t have the Emphasis. Playing any of these games for money makes this a Low Skill when used.

Emphasis Abilities: Dice Games: Dice games are extremely popular in Hachigoku, especially among the lower caste

and the criminal element. Fortunes and Winds, often linked with gambling, is the most popular. Gambling: This is the art of professional gambling; in other words, cheating. Use of this

Gambling for money in a game treats this as a Low Skill.

Go: One of Hachigoku most popular games, it is seen as a meditation on combat and strategy. White and black stones are placed on a square board and used to surround and “capture” the other player’s stones.

Mahjong: A domino-style game using brightly painted carvings, it is often played to pass the time and occasionally involves gambling.

Sadane: A popular game among teishin, it’s a verbal game of competing insults. Masters are considered great wits and cunning diplomats.

Shogi: Shogi is a game similar to chess, with a square, checkered board using pieces with unique abilities, where the object is to capture the other player’s king piece.

Specific Game: There is an endless variety of other games and leisure hobbies throughout Hachigoku. With some research and GM approval, almost any can be made into an Emphasis. If a game is not covered by a listed Emphasis, then it is obscure enough to rate its own Emphasis that is required to skillfully play it.

Himitsuheiki (Low Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Parry, Specific Improvised Weapon, Specific Okuden

An unusual combat art from the Isles of Silk and Spice, Himitsuheiki is a fluid and frantic style that depends upon grabbing whatever object is near and attacking in a whirlwind of movement, using the environment (usually urban) to its fullest potential. The intent of the style is to bewilder and drive away an opponent instead of killing him. No two practitioners use the art the same way, however. You can use this Skill whenever attacking with improvised weapons, or even when evaluating potential unorthodox weaponry in an otherwise empty room. Bottles, tables, chairs, ladders, rickshaws, war banners, other people... all are implements of destruction in the hands of a Himitsuheiki master.

It is a Low Skill due to its emphasis on unorthodox weapons, but is considered a Bugei Skill for ronin, gakusho, and Yoritomo samurai.

Emphasis Abilities: Specific Improvised Weapon: Since improvised weapons compromise an almost infinite variety

of objects (almost anything not covered under another bujutsu skill), a specific Emphasis can contain a broad but specific category of items, such as: chairs, tables, ladders, crockery, poles, buckets, chains, other people, animals, etc.

Chaos Provides (Special Technique): Requires 3 Ranks. As an Action, any time you are without a weapon, you can make a Himitsuheiki/Perception roll (TN 15) to immediately find an object suitable (Raises can increase the quality or size of the object) and make an attack with it. Any time you drop a weapon as part of an attack against an opponent (such as shoving it toward the opponent or entangling it with his weapon), you gain a Free Raise on your attack rolls against the opponent until his next Action.

Strength In Chaos (Special Technique): Requires 5 Ranks and 1 Okuden. You gain a +1k1 bonus to all damage rolls with improvised weapons. Once per round, you gain a +5 bonus to your TN to be Hit when you intentionally drop a weapon (improvised or otherwise) until your next Action, as the opponent struggles to figure out your angle in “losing” your weapon.

Hunting (Bugei Skill) (Perception)Emphases: Survival, Tracking, Trailblazing, Traps, Wilderness Lore, Specific Environment

You are trained in all the rigors for outdoor life, such as how to track, how to make a fire, set up camp, etc. You can also obscure your own tracks, and have a general knowledge of animals, plants, and

weather.The environment can affect the TN of any rolls you make as follows:

• Woodlands: -5.• Plains: +0.• Marsh: +5.• Mountains: +10.• Desert: +15.• Shadowlands: +20.

Emphasis Abilities: Survival: You can use the Hunting Skill to survive in the wilderness if you have no provisions or

guides, depending on the terrain. If you succeed on your Hunting/Perception roll for the day, you have managed to survive. The TN for the roll depends on the terrain. Success means you have found enough food and water for 10 people (horses will usually graze for food, but in harsh climates will need enough food for 3 people). This can also be used to find Shelter at the beginning of a Season with a successful Hunting (Survival)/Perception roll, depending on the Season: Spring = TN 20, Summer = TN 15, Fall = TN 25, and Winter = TN 40. This roll is modified by the environment as well.

Trailblazing: You can find safe passages through even the most harsh terrain for you and your group. The normal TN is 15, but may require Raises for harsh terrain. If successful, you cut the overland travel time by 50%.

Traps: This is the ability to construct and detect traps. You make Traps/Intelligence rolls when constructing traps and Traps/Perception (or Investigation/Perception) rolls when detecting them. Disarming a trap requires at least a minute for simple traps and a Traps/Agility or Intelligence roll (whichever is lower) vs. the original crafter’s construction roll.

Iaijutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Focus, Katana, Noto, Nukitsuke

This is the art of the fast-draw, drawing the katana in one quick, fluid movement and cutting with it in the same motion. Mostly used for the ritualized iaijutsu duels, it can also be used as an attack roll when the katana is currently sheathed. There are four components to the art: nukitsuke (draw), kiritsuke (cutting), chiburi (removal of blood from the blade), and noto (sheathing).

The mental and spiritual emphasis on iaijutsu allows the user to channel his will in combat, doing what is commonly called focusing. When in normal melee combat, you can, as an Action once per round, initiate a duel of wills between you and an opponent, making an opposed Iaijutsu (Focus)/Willpower rolls. The loser of the roll cannot use Void Points against the winner or his attacks in any way for the rest of the round.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 3: Once per round, you can take an Action to focus in melee combat, gaining a +0k1

bonus to your next damage roll with a katana this round. Rank 5: You can focus in melee combat as per Rank 3 as many times as you could focus in an

Iaijutsu Duel. Rank 7: You have mastered the art, and can use it in lieu of meditation. By practicing the kata of

your art for 30 minutes, you can, once per day, make an Iaijutsu/Void roll (TN 20) to recover 1 spent Void Point. This follows the same rules as the Meditation Skill.

Rank 10: Once per day, your can now spend 1 hour practicing your kata as with rank 7, but

instead of 1 Void Point, you recover all of your spent Void Points, up to your Void Ring.

Emphasis Abilities: Noto: The noto (“sheathing”) is the final step in the iaijutsu ritual, and with this Emphasis you

can choose to resheathe the sword after making an Iaijutsu Skill roll immediately (unless you somehow lose it, or the environment precludes graceful and swift movement, such as underwater or in quicksand).

Nukitsuke: The nukitsuke (“draw”) is the first step in the iaijutsu ritual, and was originally designed as a defensive maneuver for samurai reclining, crouching, or seated, easy prey for a quick assailant. With this Emphasis, you can make Iaijutsu/Agility attack rolls from such positions without penalty.

Investigation (High Skill) (Varies)Emphases: Ichi-miru, Interrogation, Nazado, Notice, Search

You know what questions to ask, who to ask, and where to look for clues in uncovering the truth. The Trait used by the Skill varies on its application. Use Perception when looking for clues, Intelligence when adding up the facts and making conclusions, and Awareness when asking questions and other forms of interrogation. You can only investigate a place, person, or mystery once with a roll regarding any particular matter. Only compelling evidence makes you reconsider a conclusion.

When using the Skill to search an area, meeting a TN of 15 will reveal a relevant clue after a reasonable search time. Raises may find more items or more useful clues.

When questioning a subject, it’s an opposed roll. The opposed Skill/Trait depends on how they reply to your questions. If they wish to hide the truth or lie, use Sincerity/Willpower (supplant with the Intimidation Emphasis if they wish to reply with threats or obstinate silence). If they wish to change the subject, use Etiquette (Conversation)/Willpower or Sincerity (Seduction)/Willpower. Other Skills could also be used to resist questioning if they make sense in the context of the situation.

Investigation can also be used against Stealth and Sleight of Hand for opposed rolls. The Notice Emphasis applies to seeing through such subterfuge, as well as to detecting forgeries.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 7: You may make one additional attempt to search for clues or interrogate a subject after

you have already failed once. This is an entirely new Skill Roll and attempt; you approach the problem from a new direction.

Rank 10: You may make another attempt to search for clues or interrogate a suspect after you have already failed twice.

Emphasis Abilities: Ichi-miru: You are skilled at ichi-miru, the art of the "first look". Used almost exclusively by

the Kitsuki uji and teishin trained by them, this provides you with information about a target after only a few moments observation, gleaning the specifics from minute details of his appearance and behavior only a trained eye can discern. You can also use this in place of the Notice Emphasis.

Nazado: You are skilled at a form of investigation that relies on evidence and logic, disdaining the unreliability of testimony. It is also useful in understanding and solving puzzles, riddles, and logic games. It is used almost exclusively by the Kitsuki uji and teishin trained by them, and is often frowned upon by the other samurai. You can also use this in place of the Search Emphasis.

Jiujutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Karate)Emphases: Block, Headbutt, Kick, Punch

You are skilled in basic hand-to-hand combat, specifically the Skill of hitting the opponent. Jiujutsu encompasses a variety of kicks, punches, and the occasional headbutt. This is the most common hand-to-hand technique taught throughout Hachigoku.

For more information on this Skill, see the Hand-to-Hand Combat rules.

Kaze-do (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Karate)Emphases: Block, Grapple, Sweep, Throws

You are skilled in a hand-to-hand combat style that emphasizes throws, sweeps, and grappling, focused on disabling and avoiding an opponent rather than attacking him. The style was created by a Togashi gakusho, Togashi Kaze, who was dedicated to aiding the lower castes defend themselves, instead of relying on samurai. He forbid his followers from teaching samurai, an injunction largely intact today. Only gakusho monks, ronin, and non-samurai may learn this Skill. Teaching the style to any member of an uji is highly dishonorable.

Fore more information on this Skill, see the Hand-to-Hand Combat rules.

Kenjutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Gaijin Blades, Yadomejutsu, Specific Weapon

This is the art of swordsmanship in the Empire, widely seen as the most noble of all martial arts. It covers the most common swords of the Empire: katana, ninja-to, no-dachi, Ox blade, and wakizashi.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: The sword is a swift and deadly weapon. When wielding a katana, you can add your

Skill Rank to your Initiative Total. Rank 7: The art of the sword and the soul of bushido are as one in your heart. You may spend

Void Points on damage rolls with a katana as if it were a Skill Roll.

Emphasis Abilities: Gaijin Blades: Learning the myriad of gaijin swords used outside Rokugan (scimitar,

longsword, rapier, etc.) requires this Emphasis. Use of such swords makes this a Low Skill. Yadomejutsu: This is the practiced ability to cut down arrows in flight, preventing them from

striking their target. It is exceptionally difficult to master, and it is taught in only a handful of dojo across Hachigoku. Yadomejutsu can be used in two ways. As an Active Defense, you can make a Kenjutsu/Reflexes roll (see the Combat rules for Active Defenses) against a Ranged Attack targeting anyone (including yourself) within 10’. If successful, the arrow is sliced in two and inflicts no damage. As a Full Defense action, you can roll Kenjutsu/Agility and add the total to your TN to be Hit against all ranged attacks until your next action. This does not increase your TN to be Hit for melee attacks.

Kobo Ichikai (Low Skill) (Agility/Karate)Emphases: Grapple, Headbutt, Kick, Punch, Specific Okuden

You are skilled in a hand-to-hand combat style emphasizing the theory that the best defense is a good offense. It was developed by the Hida uji, and largely practiced only by Hida or Shinjo bushi. It is

considered a "dirty" way to fight among many in Hachigoku, its brutal, bloodthirsty reputation and frequent use against Shadowlands monsters making it a Low Skill, except among Hida and Shinjo samurai, for whom it is a Bugei Skill. Worse, some of its Okuden allow the use of traditional “peasant” weapons.

Fore more information on this Skill, see the Hand-to-Hand Combat rules.

Emphasis Abilities: Break the Bones (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. You make a Kobo Ichikai/Agility attack roll,

making 2 Raises if unarmed, or 3 Raises using especially paired weapons (kama, sai, etc.). You hyperextend a target's joint and either crank it beyond its capacity or brace and smash it. If successful, the attack has a DR of 1k1 and does a minimum of 12 Wounds, either crippling the wrist, elbow, or shoulder, preventing further attacks with that limb, or crippling the knee, rendering the target immobile. This allows normal damage to zombies and other undead, but is completely stopped by the Invulnerability ability. You can attempt this attack while maintaining a grapple, but you do not do your normal grappling damage on that Action.

Hida's Lesson (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. You attempt to stop an opponent's attempt to grapple or throw you by making a quick strike. When the opponent makes a grappling or throwing attack, as an Active Defense you can make a Kobo Ichikai/Agility roll (TN opponent's Agility x 5, +1 Raise). If you fail, then the attack is made normally. If you succeed, then the opponent's attack automatically fails, and you do either normal unarmed damage or normal weapon damage if armed with a tanto-sized weapon or smaller. You can quickly drop a larger weapon to use this technique, but few Hida would do so.

Slam the Gates (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. You trap the opponent's limbs to cut off future attacks, pinning the elbows or stomping on the knee or foot. This can be done unarmed or with a melee weapon. You make a Kobo Ichikai/Agility attack roll (ignoring armor), but do no damage. You decrease the opponent's Initiative Total by -10 and add +5 to your TN to be Hit against that opponent for the rest of the round. You can increase the penalties with Raises, increasing the Initiative penalty by -5 and the TN to be Hit bonus by +5 per Raise. Effects of this ability are not cumulative.

Drunk Bushi (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks. This technique requires two free hands. This technique can be used against any one-handed, non-flexible, single melee weapon. You grab the enemy's swinging weapon at the hilt and overextend its arc to disarm and strike the wielder in one movement. As an Active Defense, you make a Kobo Ichikai/Agility roll (TN opponent's Skill x 5, +1 Raise). If you fail, the opponent's attack proceeds normally. If you succeed, you now have the weapon in your own hands and have hit the opponent, dealing normal damage, but must drop the highest die, and any armor the opponent is wearing subtracts directly from the Wounds inflicted (subtract the TN to be Hit bonus of the armor). No further Raises can be made to increase this damage. Since it is essentially an offensive maneuver used as a defense, you cannot use an Interrupt Action to perform it; it must be a Current or Held Action. The technique's name comes from the standard report given by Yasuki metsuke the morning after a brawl ("Drunk bushi! Fell on his own katana!").

Tear-Giving (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 1 Okuden. This is a secret technique taught only to Hida samurai. If grappling an opponent, you can make this attack with 1 Raise for one eye or 2 Raises to hit both eyes. If used in a normal attack, this requires 2 Raises for one eye and 3 Raises for both eyes. You can use this attack form with or without weapons. You make a Kobo Ichikai/Agility roll with the appropriate Raises, and as long as the attack does at least 1 Wound, the opponent is in pain, adding +10 (for one eye) or +20 (for both eyes) to all TN's for a minimum of one minute. If the target has more than two eyes, halve the penalties. Delivering

more than the target's Stamina x 3 in Wounds permanently destroys the eye or eyes of oni and humans alike.

Wearing Down the Mountain (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 1 Okuden. This is a secret technique taught only to Hida samurai. You deliver a series of quick, short blows to the target. This can be done only unarmed or with tanto-sized or smaller weapons. You make a Kobo Ichikai/Agility attack roll with 2 Raises. If successful, you add +0k2 to your damage, add +10 to the TN of a target's Mountain Does Not Move Okuden attempt, do 3 Wounds instead of 1 to a target with Invulnerability.

Kusarigamajutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Disarm, Entangle, Specific Weapon

You are skilled with a variety of chain weapons; the most well known is the kusarigama. This Skill covers: the bakuhatsuga, chigi-riki, kaginawa, kusarigama, mamukigama, and manrikikusari.

Kyujutsu (Bugei Skill) (Reflexes/Bujutsu)Emphases: Fletcher, Yabusame, Specific Weapon

This is the Skill used for bows and arrows. It covers: daikyu, hankyu, Tsuruchi daikyu, and yumi. The traditional Hachigoku method is to bring the bow into position and fire in one movement. Instead of aiming, a Zen-like focus on making the warrior, weapon, and target as one is emphasized, thus its reliance on Reflexes. This translates to most thrown weapons.

Samurai are trained to carry their bows unstrung, and then assemble them quickly for battle. If carried with the bowstrings in place, the strings can wear out and lose their tension, making the bow less powerful and the strings prone to breakage. Assembling a bow takes 2 simple Actions. Readying it can be done in 1 complex Action with a Kyujutsu/Agility roll (TN 15).

Emphasis Abilities: Fletcher: This is the craft of making arrows. Making specialty arrows instead of normal ya

arrows requires 2 Raises. After a battle in which you have fired arrows, you may use this Skill, keeping your Perception Trait. For every 5 points of your total roll, you recover 1 arrow in reusable condition.

Yabusame: Ranged attacks from horseback have a +10 TN penalty without the Yabusame Emphasis. You must have at least 1 Rank of the Bajutsu Skill to take this Emphasis.

Law (High Skill) (Intelligence)Emphases: Bureaucracy, Contracts, Imperial Law, Metsuke Lore, Specific Region or Faction

You are familiar with the legal systems of Hachigoku and the profession of the metsuke (“magistrate”), regardless of if you serve as one. You can argue cases with metsuke, defend or prosecute the accused, and write up legal contracts.

Emphasis Abilities: Bureaucracy: You know how to navigate the sometimes bizarre bureaucracy that surrounds the

officials of the daimyo and the Roju. If you are seeking information and do not know where to obtain it, a successful Law (Bureaucracy)/Intelligence roll (TN 15) reveals the most likely candidate, although the more obscure the information, the more Raises are needed.

Specific Region or Faction: You specialize in the idiosyncratic laws of a particular region (as

broad as Kiiringoku or as singular as the Miya Han) or faction (as broad as the Shinsei no Shinden or as singular as the Kitsune Shuha).

Locksmith (Merchant Skill) (Intelligence/Craft)Emphases: Lock Assembly, Lock Picking

Not only are you skilled at making locks and other such mechanisms, but you can also disable them. This is a favorite of both honorable Kaiu engineers and dishonorable ninja. The TN to pick a lock is determined by the original Craft roll used to make it. Picking a lock requires 1 minute or more for complex locks. Although the Skill is not inherently dishonorable, using the lockpicking ability to commit a dishonorable deed (such as theft) makes it a Low Skill. And people do often wonder about those who are skilled in such things...

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: You may now pick a simple lock in 30 seconds. Rank 7: You may now pick a simple lock with 1 Action.

Lore (High Skill) (Intelligence)Emphasis: Specific Subject

You are learned in certain areas of expertise. This Skill does not represent an understanding of all subjects covered by Lore, but only those for which you have Emphases, with each topic as a separate Emphasis. Any realm of knowledge which is not covered by a specific Skill can probably be represented by an appropriate Lore Emphasis. Examples include: bushido, shugenja, specific uji, specific nonhuman races, historic periods, etc. Lore counts as a Low Skill if it is used to display extensive knowledge of a dishonorable subject, such as gaijin, ninja, serial killers, etc.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 1: You gain a free Emphasis in the Skill.

Magari-yarijutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Magari-yari, Okuden

This is a specialized style practiced by Matsu samurai. Although it is not strictly limited to the Matsu, it lacks practitioners among any other samurai. It focuses on the magari-yari, a trident-shaped derivative of the yari. The Skill covers only one weapon: the magari-yari.

Emphasis Abilities: Victory Is All (Okuden): When using a magari-yari in a Full Attack, you gain a +1k1 bonus on

your attack and damage roll. Until your next Action, any enemy attacking you gains a +1k1 bonus on damage rolls.

The Jaws of Victory (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks and 1 Okuden. If you make 2 Raises on a Full Attack with a magari-yari, you can impale your opponent. If the attack is successful, you make opposed Strength rolls, and if you succeed on the Strength roll, the opponent is considered grappled (see Hand-to-Hand Combat rules). Until you release the enemy, drop the weapon, or attack another opponent, you may automatically damage the opponent as an Action.

Swift Victory At All Costs (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 2 Okuden. You can spend an Action as an Active Defense, but instead of negating an opponent's attack, you make an attack of your

own with the magari-yari simultaneously; the attack is a Full Attack. Strength of the Butcher (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 2 Okuden. Before making an attack

roll with a magari-yari as a Full Attack, you can spend 2 Void Points. If you do so, you can explode all damage dice of 8 or more as if they were 10’s.

Soul of the Butcher (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 4 Okuden. Every Raise you make for damage with a magari-yari gives a +0k1 bonus instead of a +1k0 bonus.

Medicine (High Skill) (Intelligence/Lore)Emphasis: Antidotes, Disease, Herbalism, Treatment, Specific Nonhuman

This Skill is used to cure a variety of ailments and injuries. A Medicine Kit (a pouch containing a variety of herbs, bandages, needles, and remedies) is needed to use the Medicine Skill. The contents of the bag allow 50 uses of the Skill before they must be replaced.

A given person may have his Wounds treated only once per day. To do so, you must spend 3 rounds tending the victim’s injuries, during which time neither of you can move or engage in any significant action. You make a Medicine (Treatment)/Intelligence roll (TN total number of Wounds the patient has). If successful, you heal 1k1 Wounds. You may make Raises, with each Raise adding +1k0 to the number of Wounds healed and using an additional dose of medicine from the kit.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 3: You gain a +1k0 bonus to determine how many Wounds you heal. Rank 5: You may treat the Wounds of someone who has already been treated once today. Rank 7: You gain a +0k1 bonus to determine how many Wounds you heal. You gain a +1k0

bonus when foraging for more medicine doses. Rank 10: You may treat the Wounds of any one who has not been treated in the last hour.

Emphasis Abilities: Antidotes: Required to cure poisons. Disease: Required to cure diseases. Herbalism: The materials of the Medicine Kit can be replaced in any significant city (at the

price of a new kit) or foraged in any wilderness. To forage, make a Medicine/Perception roll (TN 15). If successful, you find 1k1 doses. You can find an additional +1k0 doses per Raise.

Specific Nonhuman: This is required for each nonhuman race you want to use this Skill on.

Meditation (High Skill) (Void)Emphases: Fasting, Trance, Zanji

Once per day, by spending an hour in uninterrupted Meditation, you can attempt to recover 1 spent Void Point. You must successfully make a Meditation (Trance)/Void roll (TN 20). You cannot use the Meditation Skill to gain more Void Points per day than your Void Ring.

You can also use your inner calm to fight off the effects of starvation for a number of days equal to your Earth (but still need water). Each day, you must make a Meditation (Fasting)/Void roll at a TN of 10 + (5 x the number of days you've fasted). Failure means you must soon eat or pass out and suffer the effects of starvation. Fasting is usually done during religious holidays or retreats, but can be done in dire situations of survival.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: You now recover 2 Void Points when using the Skill. 1 unskilled participant in a tea

ceremony is considered to have 1 Skill Rank when participating with you. Rank 7: You can now meditate for 4 hours to regain all of your normal Void Points, up to your

Void Ring, as if you were just meditating for 1 hour. Rank 10: You can now remain in a trance for 8 hours or more, gaining all the benefits of sleep

as well as meditation. When fasting, the TN modifier is only 1 x the number of days without food.

Emphasis Abilities: Zanji: Zanji is a form of meditation that focuses more on the Chi around you than the Chi

within. You must meditate for at least 5 minutes, then make a Meditation/Void roll (TN 15). If successful, you are aware of all sentient beings nearby (animals, humans, nezumi, etc.) within 10' x your Void. Distractions may add to the TN at the GM's discretion, and each Raise can increase the range by 10’. This ability lasts for 1 Scene. You can negate the five minutes of mediation by spending a Void Point. That which is not alive, or connected to the Void in any way (i.e. has no Void Ring or its equivalent, such as Akasha or Ka), is not detected, making it useless against most Shadowlands monsters or even spirits. If you meditate for a full hour in zanji style, you will also gain a Free Raise on perception rolls for a number of hours equal to your Void Ring.

Mizu-do (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Karate)Emphases: Specific Okuden

You are skilled in a hand-to-hand combat style that emphasizes defensive techniques over all others, especially joint locks, dodges, and throws. It is a closely held secret of the Doji and Kakita uji who invented it. Only Doji and Suzume samurai with 3 or more Ranks in a physical Performance Skill can learn Mizu-do.

Emphasis Abilities: Bend Like a Reed (Okuden): As an Active Defense, you can escape a direct attack from a

striking sword or staff weapon by making a Mizu-do/Reflexes roll (TN your opponent's Skill x 5).

Catch the Shadow (Okuden): As an Active Defense, you may make a contested Mizu-do/Reflexes roll against an attacker attempting to grapple you. If done as an Interrupt Action, it only costs you 1 Action die instead of two.

Dragon Claw (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks and 1 Okuden. You make a Mizu-do/Reflexes attack roll against an opponent's Agility x 5, plus Raises. The DR of the Dragon's Claw is XkX, where X is the number of Raises made on your roll. The damage from this attack is made mostly to incapacitate an opponent with a joint lock, targeting the opponent's nerve centers. It cannot reduce an opponent below the "Out" level, and the specific damage from this attack vanishes after 10 minutes. The target remains subdued and immobilized by the grip unless he spends an Action to make an Agility roll against your Mizu-do Skill x 5. An opponent must actually have joints for this technique to work.

The Farther You Fall (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks and 1 Okuden. This is one of the most common throws used by practitioners of mizu-do. As the opponent attacks, as an Active Defense you roll your Mizu-do/Reflexes (TN of your opponent's Skill x 5) in order to grab him and redirect his movement. This is a "sacrifice throw,", meaning you grab your opponent then fall on your back (making you prone), throwing him into the air with your feet and momentum. If the roll fails, the attack still occurs after you are prone. If successful, the target is thrown up

to the attacker's Strength in yards in any direction, making the attack fail. The target must then make an Athletics/Agility roll (TN your Mizu-do Skill x 5, +5 per Raise made during the attack). If he succeeds, he takes no damage. If he fails, he takes damage with a DR of 1k1 and is "stunned," losing his next action. In either case, he lands off his feet and is prone.

Thumb Wrench (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 2 Okuden. This is a painful joint lock. As an Active Defense, you make a Mizu-do/Reflexes roll (TN your opponent's Skill x 5, +3 Raises if foe is using a weapon). If successful, you disarm him and grab his thumb, wrenching his arm behind his back in a painful and debilitating joint lock. If the opponent wants to spend an action to escape or struggles in any way against the hold, he must make an Agility roll (TN your Mizu-do Skill Rank x 5). If unsuccessful or struggling, he does XkX Wounds to himself, where X is his own Strength (you do not add your Strength to this roll).

Flight of Dragons (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 3 Okuden. This throw shifts the opponent's body into a position where he will trip over his own momentum. As an Active Defense, you make a Mizu-do/Reflexes roll (TN opponent's Skill x 5). If successful, the target is knocked to the ground prone. The target must then make an Athletics/Agility roll (TN your Mizu-do Skill x 5, +5 per Raise made during the attack). If he succeeds, he takes no damage. If he fails, he takes damage with a DR of 1k1 (adding his own Strength instead of yours) and is "stunned", losing his next action.

Hammer of Earth (Okuden): Requires 7 Ranks and 3 Okuden. This is another "sacrifice throw." As an Active Defense, you make a Mizu-do/Reflexes roll (TN your opponent's Agility x 5) in order to grip the attacker. If unsuccessful, you fail and fall prone as the opponent continues his attack. If successful, you and your opponent both fall, ideally causing the opponent to land on the crown of his head. The opponent must make an Earth roll (TN 25) or lose consciousness for 1k1 rounds. Those with helmets do not need to make the Earth roll. The move has a DR of 0k1 to the opponent, and 1k1 (not adding Strength) to yourself.

Nezumi Lore (Low Skill) (Intelligence)Emphases: Specific Tribe

You are skilled at identifying the patterns, fetishes, and pheromones that mark members of particular nezumi tribes and their great figures. It is difficult because humans are not sensitive enough for the scents that compromise a great deal of nezumi language, but you get by. With this Skill, you can mimic the Etiquette, Law, and Politics Skills when interacting with nezumi. For Hida samurai, this is considered a Bugei Skill.

Ninjutsu (Low Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Kuji-kiri, Metsubishi, Pincers and Tail, Specific Weapon

You know how to wield the traditional weapons of the ninja. The Skill covers a wide variety of unique and difficult weapons to master, but Ninjutsu training is very thorough. The Skill covers the following weapons: blowgun, kamayari, neko-te, shinobi ashiko, shinobi-shuko, shuriken, and toami jutsu.

Emphasis Abilities: Kuji-kiri: You must have both hands free to use this Emphasis, moving your hands in a

mesmerizing pattern. You make a contested Kuji-kiri/Void roll against your opponent's Void roll. If you're successful, your opponent is dazed for 1 round for every point your Void Ring is higher than your opponent's (minimum one). While the target is dazed, he cannot move (though he can defend himself) and can barely speak coherently so long as he is not subjected to any

immediate stress. Such stress would include, but not be limited to: an attempt to attack him, an ally "snapped him out of it" by yelling or shaking, etc. The target is completely aware of the world around him, he just cannot seem to react to it very well while under the effects of this Skill. You cannot attempt to use this Emphasis twice on the same target twice in one hour. If you do not have a Void Ring, you may substitute your Shadow Points. If you have neither, you cannot use the Skill, and it is ineffective against creatures without a Void Ring (or equivalent, such as Akasha or Ka) or without an intelligent mind (like animals or Shadowlands madmen).

Metsubishi: The art of crafting and using metsubishi, powders, dusts, and related compounds used to distract or blind.

Pincers and Tail: This is a unique polearm with opposite facing, curved blades used by the Bayushi. It requires this unique Emphasis to wield, and only Bayushi samurai may learn this weapon and treat it as a Bugei Skill.

Nofujutsu (Merchant Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Specific Weapon

You know how to wield the traditional weapons of the peasantry. This Skill covers the following weapons: the jitte, kama, nunchaku, sai, sling, tankoji, tonfa, and whip. Wielding any of these weapons as a primary weapon by a samurai is considered a Low Skill, except for ronin, Yoritomo and Kasuga samurai.

Oratory (High Skill) (Awareness/Performance)Emphases: Boasting, Correspondence, Jesting, Poetry, Rhetoric, Storytelling

You are a skilled and versatile speaker, able to weave a spellbinding tale or impassioned speech with your words and gestures. Storytelling is used to entertain, boast, and maintain an oral history, especially among the omoidasu, of Hachigoku's earliest days and myths. The Skill applies to both the spoken and written word respectively. The TN for an average story is 15, although a particularly tough audience may require an opposed roll, with the critic using Oratory/Perception. When writing a story, letter, or treatise, you roll once and the TN is permanent, although you may discard past versions for a revised edition.

You are also skilled in all forms of poetry in Hachigoku, particularly the haiku in its 5-7-5 syllable form and its 5-7-5-5-7 syllable form, as well as the four-line form favored by the Shinsei no Shinden and the odd "travel poetry" of the Shinjo uji.

Emphasis Abilities: Jesting: Jesting is the province of the jesters, those dancing figures meandering through court

and mocking everything in sight. Unlike the traditional Western jesters, jesters in Hachigoku are much more subtle than wacky, and a lot more sarcastic and sardonic. They sing, dance, tell stories, quote the Tao just a little wrong, and make sure you know when you've acted inappropriately. They speak in rhymes and foretell doom to those who mock them back.

Performance (High Skill) (Varies)Emphases: Dance, Kabuki, Mimicry, Music, Noh, Puppeteering, Song

This is a catch-all category for a variety of different Skills, each covered under different Emphases. Unlike most Skills, you only have skilled knowledge and ability in those arts you have an Emphasis for. The Performance Skill usually uses Awareness, but can use other Traits, especially Agility, in

certain situations. The TN for an average performance is 15, but a tough audience may require an opposed roll. Critics use Investigation (Notice)/Perception or Performance (appropriate Emphasis)/Perception to find flaws in your portrayal. When several performers are performing at once, all significant contributors must make a Group roll.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 1: You gain a free Emphasis in the Skill.

Emphasis Abilities: Dance: There are two styles of dancing in Rokugan: court dancing and peasant dancing. Court

dances are stately and elegant, and almost exclusively performed by noble women, though men of the Kakita artisans are often skilled dancers, as are kabuki actors. Peasant dances are lively and celebratory, performed by both genders.

Kabuki: This gives you a working knowledge of kabuki theatre and even the training as an actor of the style, one of the two main forms of drama in Hachigoku. It tends to be loud, garish, and wild, with elaborate costumes and sets.

Mimicry: You can disguise your voice. Attempts to mimic particular voices or nonhuman, even inanimate sounds, may require Raises. With 2 or more Raises, you can also “throw” your voice.

Music: This gives you the knowledge and ability to play and compose the music of Hachigoku. This covers everything from simple peasant songs to court orchestras. For each rank in this Skill, you also know how to play an instrument, such as: biwa (wide-bodied flute); fue (long, bamboo flute); hichiriki (double-reeded flute); koto (zither); sanisen (lute / banjo); san-ko (drum triad); taiko (huge drums). Because the instrumentalist must have good manual dexterity and a fine sense of tempo, pitch, and harmony, all rolls when playing an instrument use the lower of your Agility or Awareness Traits.

Noh: Noh is the primary form of drama among the samurai caste, and emphasizes strong but controlled emotions, drama and tragedy, and minimal stage construction. Most performers wear either masks or facepaint that indicates their status and emotional state, making it a particular favorite in Sasorigoku.

Puppeteering: You are skilled in puppeteering, a popular form of drama and entertainment among the lower castes of Hachigoku society, but the finest practitioners are also enjoyed by the samurai caste.

Song: You have a gifted voice and skill at writing lyrics, including flowery court songs, earthy peasant folk songs, and even monastic chanting.

Poison (Low Skill) (Intelligence/Craft)Emphases: Antidotes, Narcotics, Specific Poison

You know how to create and apply poisons, as well as create their antidotes. The TN to identify and create poisons depends upon their specific TN's.

Poison should be injected as close to the heart as possible, or in a major artery or vein. While going for the neck may seem to be the obvious choice, don't forget those big fat veins on the top of the hands.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 3: You gain a Free Raise on all Medicine Rolls to create antidotes. Rank 5: You gain a Free Raise on all Medicine Rolls to create antidotes. Rank 7: You gain a Free Raise on all Medicine Rolls to create antidotes.

Politics (High Skill) (Awareness)Emphases: Gossip, Manipulation, Maneuvering, Mon Heraldry, Specific Faction

You understand the intricacies of court life, and are able to discern who holds the real power and how to deal with them. Along with Etiquette, this is the most important Skill in the teishin's arsenal. A Politics (Maneuvering)/Awareness roll (TN 15) will give you a good idea as to who holds the reigns of power in the court, with an opposed Etiquette/Awareness roll by those attempting to disguise their influence.

This Skill can also be used to manipulate others. With a Politics (Manipulation)/Awareness roll, contested with an Etiquette/Awareness roll, you can determine the needs and desires of another. With the proper Emphasis and a Raise, your target will not realize he has revealed anything, if successful.

Gossip is highly frowned upon at court, and eagerly expected. This Skill can be used by you in two ways: to learn the latest rumors or to spread them. To hunt down rumors about a specific topic, you must spend a day at court discussing the particular topic, and make a Politics (Gossip)/Awareness roll (TN 15). If the roll succeeds, you learn one juicy rumor. You can state one true thing about those at court; additional Raises of course can embellish this rumor. This will not necessarily make the rumor useful. To spread rumors about a target, you must spend a day in court discussing the target, and then make a Politics (Gossip)/Awareness roll (TN equal to difference between yours and the target's Glory Rank x 10, to a minimum of 10); To spread rumors about a topic, the TN is 15. If you have the proper Emphasis, you can make a Raise to conceal the fact you are the hunting or spreading rumors.

Emphasis Abilities: Mon Heraldry: You are familiar with the mon (symbols) of the uji, and specific samurai of the

realm. Recognizing a mon you can closely study requires a Politics/Intelligence roll with a varying TN. Recognizing one from a distance (especially those on the banners of commanding samurai in an army) requires a Politics/Perception roll, but all TN's are increased by +5. When trying to examine another's mon, you do not need to try and discover everything about the mon. You can attempt to only figure out certain information about it, such as the Glory Rank of the samurai or just his family name.

Mon TN

Dainagon Uji Mon 10

Shonagon Uji Mon 15

Otokodate Mon 25

Vassal Uji Mon +5

Personal Mon +10

Glory Rank of Samurai +10

Status of Samurai +5

Stricken from Miya Registries +15

Resplendent Crane Yarijutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Yari, Okuden

Originally a series of kata practiced by Daidoji bushi, the maneuvers became an official martial art

almost overnight after impressing a Steel Champion. The Skill teaches only one weapon: the yari. It is a graceful art and often seen as a mirror reflection of Mizu-do. It is most widely studied by samurai of Zuichougoku, especially among the Tsume uji.

Emphasis Abilities: Keep Your Enemies Far (Okuden): Requires 3 Ranks. On your Action (but without using an

Action), you can give up the Yari Emphasis bonus to your attack rolls, then add your Skill Rank to your TN to be Hit until your next Action. You must be wielding a yari to do so.

Remain Near Yet Far (Okuden): Requires 5 Ranks and 1 Okuden. You continue to gain the polearm Initiative bonus for the entire skirmish when wielding a yari.

The Crane Takes Flight (Special Technique): Requires 7 Ranks and 2 Okuden. Once per Action, when you successfully strike an opponent with your yari, you can immediately attack again with the butt of the yari as you spin it around. This does damage as a bo staff.

Sailing (Merchant Skill) (Intelligence/Lore)Emphases: Navigation, Sea of Shadows, Strategy, Swimming, Weather, Specific Ship

You are skilled in the lore of the sea and working on a boat. You can use this Skill not only to handle a boat but also to identify seascapes and marine life and survive the rigors of the sea, like storms.

Emphasis Abilities: Navigation: Using stars, triangulation, and memory, you can plot lengthy journeys through

unmapped lands and seas with your Intelligence, or use Perception to find your way to recognizable landmarks within no reference point (such as being left blindfolded in an unknown forest).

Sea of Shadows: The Sea of Shadows, the coastal waters off of the Shadowlands between Hachigoku and the Ivory Kingdoms, are a dangerous and chaotic realm. Sailing through them requires a specialized knowledge.

Specific Ship: Choose a specific ship. You gain the Skill rank bonus on all rolls involving Sailing while on board that kind of ship.

Shadowlands Lore (Low Skill) (Intelligence/Lore)Emphases: Geography, Goblin, The Lost, Ogre, Oni, Strategy, Tsuno

You know the creatures, history, and dangers of the Shadowlands. Learning this Skill is not dishonorable. The only Honor loss is displaying knowledge of the Shadowlands when there is no obvious need to do so. Hida samurai, however, do not consider even that dishonorable, and consider it a Bugei Skill in all ways. For the Hida, the need for it is always obvious.

Sincerity (High Skill) (Awareness)Emphases: Apologies, Intimidation, Lying, Misdirection, Seduction

Samurai rarely respect the truth. They respect sincerity, but they abhor lies. An enigma wrapped in a conundrum. This Skill is used to compel others to believe that which is untrue, and the ability to appear to believe it is true yourself. Only the vulgar truly lie; it is far better to avoid the truth or a shameful reply. It also very important when apologizing to reduce Glory losses caused by actions towards others.

When used to cloak the truth, it is usually an opposed roll against the listener’s Investigation/Perception. If you are lying about something that the listener has knowledge of (such as a

Lore Skill), he can use that Skill instead. The same rules apply if it is an outright lie, but then its use is considered a Low Skill.

This Skill is also used to seduce others. Honorable samurai do not act seductively; they imply the fulfillment of desire in return for compliance. Although it is often a matter of the flesh, it is essentially a matter of offering others that they desire to meet your own ends. Seduction usually involves an opposed Sincerity (Seduction)/Awareness roll against the target's Etiquette/Willpower. If the seduction is overt, or fails in any case, its use is considered a Low Skill.

Sincerity can also be Intimidation, the manipulation of others through threats; you are very good at looking very bad and making people believe in your worst capabilities. Keep in mind that the promise of outright violence requires no roll; either you are intimidated by the blood-soaked Hida bearing the well-used tetsubo or you aren’t, and likely is a dishonorable attempt. The Intimidation Emphasis denotes subtle coercion, threatening the target with dangers not readily apparent. Of course, the Hida could still use the Skill to look even more threatening than he actually is. Usually, this is a Sincerity (Intimidation)/Willpower roll vs. Investigation/Perception (if they don’t believe your threats) or Sincerity/Willpower (if they want to counter with bravado).

Sleight of Hand (Merchant Skill) (Agility/Performance)Emphases: Conceal, Escape, Pick Pockets, Prestidigitation

You are skilled at palming items, picking pockets, and other acts of prestidigitation. This usually involves an opposed Sleight of Hand/Agility roll against the viewer's Investigation/Perception roll.

Emphasis Abilities: Escape: You may use this Skill to escape bonds. This is a Sleight of Hand/Agility roll (TN 15

for simple ropes, TN 25 for chains or manacles, higher TN’s for higher quality bonds). Prestidigitation: You may use the Skill to manipulate objects in an entertaining way. You can

put on simple magic shows, making coins disappear or moving objects from hand to hand.

Spellcraft (High Skill) (Intelligence/Lore)Emphases: Counterspell, Maho, Mizugusuri, Nemuranai, Sense, Spell Research, Tsangusuri, Specific Element, Specific Shugenja Discipline

You understand the fundamental aspects of Rokugani magic and the elements. This covers not only the general knowledge of magic and spells, but also allows you to sense magic in use and to counter its use if you are a shugenja.

You also use this Skill when learning new spells from other shugenja, if you are capable of using magic. When you wish to learn a new spell, you can learn it from a teacher or a by studying a scroll the spell is written on. You can do this by spending a Season Action. At the end of the Season, you make a Spellcraft roll, keeping dice equal to your Ring Rank in the element. The base TN is the Mastery Level of the spell x 5. The TN is further modified by the following factors: • -5 TN: Close friend or relative teaching you or made the scroll.• +0 TN: Scroll/teacher is from the same Discipline as you.• +10 TN: Scroll/teacher is from a different Discipline as you.• +20 TN: Scroll/teacher has an alien mindset (maho-tsukai, ishiken, etc.).

Emphasis Abilities: Counterspell: In order to counter a spell being cast you must be aware of it (such as sensing it

using this Skill or watching it being cast). You may attempt to counter a spell as it is being cast

(if the casting takes multiple actions), or immediately as it is being cast as an Active Defense. You must make a Spellcraft roll, keeping dice equal to your Ring of the element of the spell with a TN equal to the original spellcasting roll. This ability can only counter magic that you can cast and use, so only a maho-tsukai could counter a maho spell.

Mizugusuri: You are skilled at making mizugusari, or magical potions, binding the kami to the elixirs to provide magical effects. Only Agasha and Tamori shugenja can learn this Emphasis. Making mizugusuri requires a Season Action.

Sense: You can also use Spellcraft to sense magic as it is being cast, if it is not automatically obvious. To do so, you must be within a certain proximity dependent upon the Mastery Level of the spell, and then must make a Spellcraft/Awareness roll (TN of the caster's Spellcraft rank x his Awareness). If successful, you know the general location of the spell, have an idea of its power (i.e. Mastery Level), and its element. You gain a Free Raise to your roll if it is a spell you know and another Free Raise if it is an Innate Ability of yours. You can only sense magic (not just spells) you are capable of casting.

ML Distance

1 5'

2 25'

3 100'

4 1,000'

5 1 Mile

6 5 Miles

Spell Research: You must have this Emphasis to create new spells. You can use this Skill to create new spells or create spells that already exist on your own, effectively learning them without a scroll to study or teacher to learn from. When creating a new spell, the time required is a Season Action per the spell's intended Mastery Level. Then you must make a Spellcraft roll, keeping whichever Ring the spell you are researching uses. If the spell is a multi-element spell, use the higher of the Rings used. The base TN is the Mastery Level of the spell x 10, with the following modifiers:

TN Circumstance

-5 Discipline's Affinity.

+10 Discipline's Deficiency.

-5 10 spells of this Element already known.

-5 Spell has unusual requirement.

-10 Spell previously existent.

+5 Spell is defensive.

+10 Spell does damage.

Tsangusuri: You are skilled at making minor nemuranai fetishes known as tsangusari, a specialty of Asahina shugenja. These fetishes create magical effects but are ruined after their

first use. Only Asahina shugenja can learn this Emphasis.

Stealth (Low Skill) (Agility)Emphases: Ambush, Disguise, Shadowing, Sneaking, Spellcasting

You know how to move quietly through the shadows and avoid detection, and how to move through a crowd of people unobtrusively. This usually involves an opposed Stealth/Agility roll against the viewer's Investigation/Perception roll.

You may also use the Skill to find areas where a large number of people can be hidden easily. Upon finding a suitable place, you can make a Stealth roll (with the Ambush Emphasis if you have it) for a number of people up to your Skill Rank. If any of these allies moves from their assigned place, they must use their own Stealth Skill to remain unseen.

You can also use the Skill to shadow people, not truly hiding but following them unnoticed. This can only be done in crowded areas, usually urban, but doesn’t require a hiding place.

Sneaking is the most common application of the Skill, and requires some form of shadow or cover to be effective. While sneaking you may only move half your maximum normal speed and remain unnoticed (this is a complex action, so you can’t attack while sneaking).

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: You may now move one-third your normal speed while sneaking. Rank 7: You may now hide a number of allies up twice your Skill Rank when setting up an

ambush. Rank 10: You may move normally while sneaking (although attacking or other obvious

interaction with the environment negates the Skill).

Emphasis Abilities: Spellcasting: Only shugenja can learn this Emphasis, since it is used specifically to cast magic

unnoticed. Hiding a spell from view is a Stealth/Awareness roll (TN 15). This TN assumes that no one is paying particular attention to the shugenja. If someone is watching the shugenja, then the viewer can make an opposed Investigation/Perception roll. Some spells, especially any that produce a change in the caster’s appearance (such as drastically different illusions, auras, shapechangeing, etc.) or emanate from the caster in an obvious fashion (weapon spells, fireballs, elemental circles, etc.), are just too obvious or flashy to conceal (“What? No, sama, this isn’t my Katana of Fire...”).

Subojutsu (Bugei Skills) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Specific Weapon

You know how to wield large crushing weapons. This covers the following weapons: the die tsuchi, tetsubo, masakari, and ono.

Sumai (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Karate)Emphases: Block, Dance, Grapple, Throws

This is a common form of ritualized competition and a hand-to-hand combat style emphasizing wrestling and shoving.

Fore more information on this Skill, see the Hand-to-Hand Combat rules.

Tantojutsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Throw, Specific Weapon

You know how to wield knives and similar weapons. The Skill covers: the tanto, aiguchi, parangu, and spine dagger.

Theology (High Skill) (Intelligence/Lore)Emphases: Ancestors, Folk Magic, Fortunism, Shintao, Spirit Realms

You have studied the religions of Hachigoku, learning about the kami and the Fortunes as well as studying the mysteries of the Tao of Shinsei. You are able to discuss both matters of philosophy and enlightenment, as well as the religious history of Hachigoku's rituals and prayers associated with the worship of the Fortunes and kami.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 3: You gain a Free Raise on social rolls when dealing with shugenja or gakusho. Rank 5: If you have the Shintao Emphasis, you can now have Traits and Rings above Rank 5. Rank 7: You gain a Free Raise on social rolls when dealing when dealing with shugenja,

gakusho, maho-tsukai, spirits, or other creatures from beyond the mortal realm.

Emphasis Abilities: Spirit Realms: There are 11 known Spirit Realms: Ningen-do (Realm of Mortals), Chikushido

(Realm of Animals), Gaki-do (Realm of Hungry Dead), Jigoku (Realm of Evil), Maigo no Musha (Realm of Lost Heroes), Meido (Realm of the Dead), Sakkaku (Realm of Mischief), Toshigoku (Realm of Slaughter), Yomi (Realm of Blessed Ancestors), Yume-do (Realm of Dreams), or Tengoku (The Celestial Heavens). This Emphasis applies whenever you are dealing with denizens of a Spirit Realm different than your own native Realm, no matter what Skill you are using.

Underworld Lore (Low Skill) (Intelligence)Emphases: Kolat, Ninja, Scrounging, Smuggling, Wako, Specific Region

You know your way around Hachigoku's criminal society, including the major bandit gangs, smuggling cartels, and pirate organizations. You may use this Skill to arrange a meeting with criminals, find sources of illegal goods, or identify who seems to be a criminal mastermind or common thug in an area. Knowledge gained through this Skill is reliable, but based on rumor and hearsay and thus cannot be used to convict a criminal of a crime in and of itself. If you are a metsuke, you can use this Skill without losing Honor, but only in the interests of justice.

Yarijtsu (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Knockdown, Parry, Specific Weapon

You know how to wield spear-like polearms. This covers: the yari, kamayari, nagamaki, nage-yari, naginata, shikomi-zue (bladed), sodegarmi, or umayari.

Mastery Abilities: Rank 5: You gain a +1k0 damage bonus against mounted or much larger opponents when using

Yarijutsu.

Yomanri (Bugei Skill) (Agility/Bujutsu)Emphases: Fletcher, Yabusame, Specific Weapon

You know how to fire a yumi or dai-kyu in the Shinjo or gaijin way. It relies on aim and precision, instead of the traditional way of making the warrior and arrow “one.” You can spend an Action to do nothing but aim, aiming for a number of Actions up to your Yomanri Skill, and gaining a Free Raise for each Action spent. You cannot use this Skill to aim while on horseback, and a moving target halves the number of Actions (round down) that you can aim.

Like other samurai, even the Shinjo have adopted the practice of carrying their bows unstrung, and then assembling them quickly for battle. If carried with the bowstrings in place, the strings can wear out and lose their tension, making the bow less powerful and the strings prone to breakage. Assembling a bow takes 2 simple Actions. Readying it can be done in 1 complex Action with a Yomanri/Agility roll (TN 15).

Emphasis Abilities: Fletcher: This is the craft of making arrows. Making specialty

arrows instead of normal ya arrows requires 2 Raises. After a battle in which you have fired arrows, you may use this Skill, keeping your Perception Trait. For every 5 points of your total roll, you recover 1 arrow in reusable condition.

Yabusame: Ranged attacks from horseback have a +10 TN penalty without the Yabusame Emphasis. You must have at least 1 Rank of the Bajutsu Skill to take this Emphasis.

Outfit & Equipment

Item QualityAll items are considered to come in three Qualities: Poor, Standard, and Fine. Like Advantage or Disadvantage Qualities for characters, these attributes denote a benefit or drawback to the items. Poor Quality items impose a -1k0 penalty on all attempted rolls directly involving the item, while Fine Quality items provide a +1k0 bonus. Standard Quality items offer no bonus or penalty; they are typical specimens and function as intended. Unless otherwise stated, all items are assumed to be Standard Quality.

Money: The KokuThe largest monetary unit in Hachigoku is the koku. A koku is, roughly, enough rice to feed a man for a year. This amount is the standard which fixes fluctuating prices and taxes throughout the Empire; all prices derive from a complex mercantile system dependent on the value of a koku. While barter is still a common feature along the borderlands and in rural villages, most in Hachigoku use a monetary system of coinage. The largest coin is the ryo, a golden coin used

When Do I Need To Buy Things?

Most of the time, if you are in your own uji's han, you need only inform the merchant or shop owner of what you need, and the cost is billed to your daimyo. If you are in the han of an uji related to yours by bonds of fealty or alliance, the bill would be submitted to the daimyo, and either filled by him as a courtesy or passed on to your own daimyo. After all, you are a guest. If you are an official in an organization, the bill is submitted to the local representative of the organization (such as the Senryuu, your shinden, or the Jade Magistrates).

But sometimes you are outside lands who would treat you as an honored guest, or you don't really want your daimyo to know what you're purchasing (“Another katana? What happened to your ancestors'?”). Depending upon your uji, this will almost always apply to anything contraband.

That's when you buy your own stuff.

mainly by samurai and wealthy merchants. Koku and ryo are terms that can be used interchangeably, but koku is usually reserved for abstract, agricultural, and official wealth, while ryo is used for daily market exchanges. The next size is a bu, a silver coin equal to 1/5 of a ryo. The smallest denomination is the zeni, a copper coin equal to 1/100 of a bu. Thus, 100 zeni equal 1 bu, and 5 bu equal 1 ryo. Ryo are usually oblong shaped, while zeni and bu are round with squared holes. Using thin hemp rope, these holed coins are gathered into strings of easy to carry 1000s (for zeni) or 500s (for bu).

Keeping track of your exact wealth is an activity fit for merchants, not for samurai. Thus, while your starting Outfit has koku, and Holdings may grant you more koku at the end of a Season, it is assumed that most of your daily needs and equipage is provided by your superior. When you need to spend money and acquire items, you make a Skill roll. You can spend your koku to gain a +1k0 bonus per koku spent to such rolls. Buying multiples of an item increases the TN by +1 per additional item.

All items can be divided into common, uncommon, or rare items, and are either legal or contraband. If the item is legal, you roll Commerce (Merchant)/Awareness. If it is contraband, you roll Underworld Lore (Smuggling)/Awareness. An item might be legal for one character and contraband for another, such as a katana, which is legal for a member of the samurai caste and contraband for anyone else.

Type TN

Common 10

Uncommon 20

Rare 30

Weapon +10

Armor +10

Fine Quality +10

Poor Quality -5

WeaponsThis listing of weapons is sorted by Skill. Thus, all the swords used by the Kenjutsu Skill are grouped together, and all the knives used by the Tantojutsu Skill are grouped together. All weapons are labeled common, uncommon, or rare, and have a Damage Rating (DR).

Bojutsu Weapons

Bojutsu weapons are all considered legal, and extremely common, except for the shikomizue.

Bo (Common; DR: 0k2): A long hardwood staff about 6' to 7' long. You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Jo (Common; DR: 0k2): A smaller version of the bo, about 3' long. Often wielded with one in each hand. You can use the jo to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Shikomizue (Rare; DR: 0k2): The shikomizue appears to be a normal bo staff, but with a flick of the wrist a concealed attachment pops out of one end; a single attachment is crafted into the inside hollow. There are three common attachments: blade, chain, and chain and hook. Each transforms the shikomizue into a different weapon; use the appropriate Skill and rules when using them. The blade attachment transforms the weapon into a yari, the chain into a

manrikikusari, and the chain and hook into a kaginawa.

Chisaiijutsu Weapons

Chisaiijutsu weapons are all considered legal, although its specialized use makes it rare among non-samurai.

Tessen (Uncommon; DR: 0k1): The tessen is a war fan, usually used to signal orders across a battlefield. Its thick iron ribbing, however, makes it strong enough to use as a weapon in desperate circumstances. You can use the tessen to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Kenjutsu Weapons

Katana (Uncommon; DR: 2k2): The long sword that symbolizes the samurai caste; those in the heimen caste are forbidden to own katana. The blade is slightly curved, ending in a chiseled point. The blade is swift and deadly, made of soft and hard steel forged together. Hilts may vary, being short in times and peace and longer in a troubled age, but typically allows for two-handed use as the blade focuses on slashing and cutting rather than thrusting. The entire sword usually measures about 3' long. When worn with the wakizashi, the two are known as the daisho. Katana are considered legal only for samurai, with a few specific exceptions, such as tsukai-sagasu.

Ninja-to (Common; DR: 2k2): A thin, straight, single-edged sword commonly used by ninja, cheap in design and easily discarded. The sheath can double as a stepping stool (gaining a Free Raise to all Athletics rolls when climbing) and can be used as a blowgun. Due to its association with ninja, the ninja-to is considered contraband.

No-dachi (Rare; DR: 3k2): A great sword, forged in the same manner and shape as the katana but measuring 5'. Some are as huge as 7'. Usually only carried by the strongest bushi; such blades cannot be stashed in the obi and must be held or slung across the back. No-dachi are considered legal only for samurai.

Tachi (Common; DR: 2k2): The forerunner of the katana; a straight, single-edged blade made for slashing and thrusting. Tachi are considered legal, if archaic.

Wakizashi (Common; DR: 1k2): A short, slightly curved single-edged sword, and the companion piece to the katana. Together, the two swords are known as the daisho. Wakizashi are considered legal.

Yobanjin Ring Sword (Rare; DR: 2k3): The Yobanjin ring sword is typically reviled as a barbarian weapon, but the Morito uji has brought the blade some respectability. The heavy curved blade, wider at the tip than the base, has iron rings placed through holes bored into the inside of its curve. The intent of the skilled user is to catch a foe's weapon in the rings as part of a Parry (which this sword can attempt, provided you have the Yobanjin Ring Sword Emphasis; see the Parrying maneuver in the Skirmish rule) and attempt to break it. If you successfully Parry an attack with a melee weapon, you can spend an Action to attempt to break it, rolling Kenjutsu (Yobanjin Ring Sword)/Strength. The TN varies by the weapon: TN 5 for wooden weapons, TN 10 for steel Nofujutsu weapons, TN 15 for polearms, TN 20 for katana or wakizashi, and TN 30 for any Fine Quality weapon. Because of its Yobanjin origins, the sword is considered contraband unless you are a Morito samurai.

Kusarigamajutsu Weapons

All kusarigamajutsu weapons are legal, although they do carry certain ninja connotations. You can use either the Commerce or Underworld Lore Skill to purchase them.

Bakuhatsugama (Uncommon; DR: Special): This weapon is identical to the kusarigama, except that the weight on the end of the chain is replaced with a fragile container bursting on impact. It can contain any number of different substances, ranging from contact poison, acid, explosives, or various powders; it does damage according to what is in the container upon a successful hit.

Chigiriki (Uncommon; DR: 1k2): Similar to a Western morningstar, the chigiriki is a is a length of bamboo with a chain attached, at the end of which is a shorter length of bamboo with horizontal spikes. The chigiriki can ignore light armor's bonus to the target's TN to be Hit.

Kaginawa (Uncommon; DR: 0k1): A modified grappling hook that uses a weighted chain. You can attempt the Entangle maneuver using a kaginawa (see the Skirmish rules). Also, you can use it to gain 2 Free Raises to all Athletics Skill rolls when climbing.

Kusarigama (Common; DR: 1k2): The kusarigama is a kama attached to a 4' to 6' long length of chain. You can attempt the Entangle maneuver using a kusarigama (see the Skirmish rules).

Manrikikusari (Uncommon; DR: 0k2): A heavy length of chain weighted at both ends. You can attempt the Entangle maneuver using a kaginawa (see the Skirmish rules). If you do successfully Entangle someone, you can spend an Action to inflict suffocation damage as you wrap the chain around your foe's throat and pull.

Kyujutsu Weapons

Bows of Hachigoku do not use your Strength when calculating DR. Instead, each bow has its own DR that stacks with the DR of each particular arrow.

Daikyu (Uncommon; DR: 3k0): The “long bow” of Hachigoku, the 7' tall daikyu is both a composite bow and has a grip lower than Western bows, allowing it to be fired while kneeling or from horseback. The maximum range of the daikyu is 600'. Because of its explicit use in warfare, the bow is considered legal only for samurai.

Hankyu (Rare; DR: 1k0): The hankyu is a small bow, hidden in the folds of a kimono or other loose clothing and quickly assembled. It is weak but efficient, usually used by ninja for a nearby assassination. The range is only 150'. Because of its ninja associations, the bow is considered contraband.

Tsuruchi-daikyu (Rare; DR: 3k0): The Tsuruchi-daikyu is the longbow used by Tsuruchi bushi. Its grip is higher, like Western bows, but has a maximum range of 900'. The Tsuruchi uji constantly monitors the production of this bow, and only Tsuruchi samurai are legally allowed to own one.

Yumi (Common; DR: 2k0): The most common “short bow” used both by footsoldiers and hunters. It has a maximum range of 600'. The bow is considered legal.

Arrows

If purchased, arrows are typically bought in multiples of 20, as 20 is the maximum a quiver made in Hachigoku will hold. All arrows are considered legal.

Armor Piercer (Uncommon; DR: 0k2): An arrow with a narrow tip designed for punching through armor. Ignores a target's TN to be Hit bonus from armor, but not Carapace.

Humming Bulb (Common; DR: 0k1): A hollow-tipped arrow that whistles as it flies through the air. The tip is usually rounded, and fired to signal troop commands at great distances.

Karimata (Rare; DR: 0k1): The “fork” arrow is designed to cut rope or thin cords. Any attack roll with such an intention gains 2 Free Raises.

Watakushi (Uncommon; DR: 2k3): The “flesh cutter” arrow spins as it leaves the bow and augers into the flesh. Although particularly effective against unarmored opponents, armored opponents can double the bonus to their TN to be Hit against such arrows.

Ya (Common; DR: 1k2): The typical “hunting” arrow of Hachigoku. The standard arrow for warfare.

Ninjutsu Weapons

All ninjutsu weapons are considered contraband.

Blowgun (Rare; DR: 1k1): Blowguns are frequently used both by ninja and nezumi, and usually use poisoned darts. They are never more than a 1' long, easy to carry and deploy, quick to leave behind. They gain no DR bonus from the wielder's Strength, and a foe's TN to be Hit armor bonus is considered doubled.

Kamayari (Rare; DR: 2k2): The kamiyari is a 10' polearm with a jagged set of hooks at one end. A bizarre weapon handy for climbing, it is most often used by ninja as a distraction while a fellow ninja slips away to accomplish a mission. You can attempt to Entangle a target (see the Skirmish rules). Anyone successfully entangled is trapped and immobile (as long as they are wearing clothes or armor). You can spend an Action to move them in any direction you wish; if they resist they take the listed DR. You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules). Finally, you gain a Free Raise on all Athletics Skill rolls when climbing.

Pincers and Tail (Rare; DR: 1k3): A strange polearm unique to the lands of Sasorigoku, the pincers and tail mimics a scorpion. One end has a crescent shaped blade for attacking, while the other has a claw-shaped blade for disarming. You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules). When using the claw end, you gain 2 Free Raises for the Disarm maneuver (see the Skirmish rules). Unlike the other ninjutsu weapons, the pincers and tail is considered legal for Bayushi samurai.

Shinobi-shuko/Shinobi-ashiko (Uncommon; DR: 0k2): The “climbing claws” of the ninja: shinobi-shuko are worn on the hands, shinobi-ashiko on the feet. Designed to aid climbing, they give the user 2 Free Raises on all Athletics Skill rolls when climbing. They can easily be used as weapons as well.

Shuriken (DR: 1k1): The “throwing stars” of ninja myth. While Strength is not added to the DR, you can throw an additional shuriken per Raise as a single attack. With 2 Raises per extra shuriken, you can target multiple opponents. These are often coated with poison.

Toami-jutsu (Common; DR: Special): The toami-jutsu is a weighted net, often used by ninja to immobilize opponents for convenient killing or kidnapping.

Nofujutsu Weapons

All nofujutsu weapons are considered legal.

Jitte (Common; DR: 1k1): An iron bar with a hilt and a single upturned prong, used to entrap an opponent's weapon. Universally used as the symbol of the doshin peacekeepers. You can attempt to use the Disarm maneuver, gaining a Free Raise (see the Skirmish rules).

Kama (Common; DR: 0k2): The traditional straight-blade sickle used for harvesting grains and rice, and often used as a weapon.

Masakari (Common; DR: 0k3): A one-handed woodchopper's axe modified for combat. Nunchaku (Uncommon; DR: 0k2): Two hardwood poles about 2' long each, held together by a

short chain or leather cord. Originally a tool to thresh grain, it has been modified to enable you to use the Entangle or Disarm maneuvers (see the Skirmish rules).

Sai (Uncommon; DR: 1k1): A two-pronged blunt knife used to defend and disarm opponents. You can attempt to use the Disarm maneuver, gaining a Free Raise (see the Skirmish rules).

Tonfa (Uncommon; DR: 0k1): Originally the handle to a millstone, the tonfa is a 2' block of hardwood with an offset handle. You can use the tonfa to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Whip (Uncommon; DR: 0k1): Rarely used as a weapon in battle, the whip is used primarily to discipline workers or for torture. Anyone hit by a whip as a regular attack must make an Honor roll or cry out in pain, losing an Honor Point. You can also attempt the Entangle maneuver using a whip (see the Skirmish rules).

Subojutsu Weapons

All subojutsu weapons are considered legal.

Dai-tsuchi (Uncommon; DR: 2k3): A warhammer mounted on a polearm. By leveraging your Strength, you can ignore a foe's TN to be Hit bonus from armor. This does not ignore Carapace, however.

Ono (Uncommon; DR: 0k4): A long-handled battleaxe; it can be single or double bladed. Tetsubo (Common; DR: 1k3): An iron club, much like a Western morningstar, banded in iron

and normally wielded with two hands. With a Strength of 4 it can be wielded one-handed. By leveraging your Strength, you can ignore a foe's TN to be Hit bonus from armor, and reduce an opponent's Carapace by your Strength.

Tantojutsu Weapons

All tantojutsu weapons are considered legal.

Aiguchi (Common; DR: 1k1): A short knife without a hilt. Often used by non-bushi samurai women for defense or to commit a quick suicide: jigai. Doing so follows all the same Honor and Glory rules for normal seppuku.

Parangu (Uncommon; DR: 1k2): The parangu is a machette, with a wide blade for hacking through rope by sailors or jungle by peasants. When attempting to cut through vegetation or rope, you gain a Free Raise.

Tanto (Common; DR: 2k1): A short knife with a hilt, often hidden in a kimono.

Yarijutsu Weapons

All yarijutsu weapons are considered legal.

Nagamaki (Uncommon; DR: 1k2): A shorter version of the naginata with a 3' 6” wooden shaft and a 3' katana-like blade. This polearm is usually used by mounted bushi.

Nageyari (Uncommon; DR: 0k2): A 3' javelin that can be used either in melee combat or thrown.

Naginata (Uncommon; DR: 1k3): A polearm with a large, curved blade at one end. You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Sasumata (Rare; DR: 0k1): The “man-catcher” is a 6' polearm with a double pronged hook at the end, the insides of which are barbed, designed to capture a man and make him loathe to attempt escape by injuring himself against the spikes. Attacking someone with a sasumata allows you to attempt to Entangle them (see the Skirmish rules). If they fail, you have them trapped and immobile. You can spend an Action to move them in any direction you wish; if they resist they take the listed DR. A trapped victim can spend an Action to attempt escape with a Strength roll or Sleight of Hand (Escape)/Agility roll (TN 30). You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Sodegarmi (Rare; DR: 0k1): The “sleeve-entangler” is a 6' polearms with a series of wicked barbs to catch the sleeves of kimono and loose edges of armor. You can attempt to Entangle a target (see the Skirmish rules). Anyone successfully entangled is trapped and immobile (as long as they are wearing clothes or armor). You can spend an Action to move them in any direction you wish; if they resist they take the listed DR. You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

Yari (Common; DR: 1k2): A straight spear about 6' in length topped with a sharp blade for thrusting. You gain a +1k0 to all attack rolls in the first round of a Skirmish due to the polearm's length. You can also use the polearm to perform the Parry maneuver (see the Skirmish rules).

ArmorArmor in Hachigoku is designed to make you more difficult to hit, the lamellar and lacquer designed more to deflect blows rather than absorb them in the fashion of Western chain and plate mail. While armor can be complex and individualized cosmetically, the basic parts of the the armor are fairly universal throughout Hachigoku.

Kote: Chain mail sleeves with leather pads along the forearms. Hatamaki-do: The basic lamellar chestplate, lacquered with an accompanying armored short

skirt, usually divided into three rectangular pieces. The armor has little back protection, assuming a real samurai would never turn his back on an enemy.

Sode: The heavy, rectangular shoulder pads, made of lamellar and lacquered. Haidate: Leg guards for the thighs. Suneate: Leg guards for the lower legs. Jingasa: A pointed, circular metal helm held on with a chinstrap. As a bonus, the jingasa can be

used as a cooking pot for hungry samurai. Kabuto: A more form-fitting helmet, usually decorated with horns, crescent moons, or other

decorative elements meant to intimidate or honor tradition and ancestors. Mempo: A face-mask, usually worn with a mempo. Sashimono: A personal banner displaying a samurai's mon, be it uji, family, or unit, and worn

attached to the back of a samurai's armor by cords that loop around the armpits and fasten to the

hatamaki-do's chestplate. Nobori: A personal banner too large to be worn on the back, and instead can be carried one-

handed or attached to a saddle. Kouma jirushi: A massive battle standard that must be carried in both hands; the bearer can do

little but march in a straight line and struggle against the wind.

While it may protect you, the added burden of the armor restricts movement. How much it protects and hinders depends on the type of armor worn. The broad categories of armor listed below include the bonus to your TN to be Hit and the penalty of each type, as well as whether they are common, uncommon, or rare. Any armor of Fine Quality adds +2 to your TN to be Hit, as well as adding a +1k0 to all Active Defense rolls. Any armor of Poor Quality reduces your TN to be Hit by -2, and you suffer a -1k0 to all Active Defense rolls. All types of armor is considered legal only for samurai, except for ashigaru armor, which is legal for all.

Ashigaru Armor (Common): Ashigaru armor is the lightest type, typically worn by the ashigaru, peasants pressed into military service and armed mostly with yari. The armor includes only the hatamaki-do and a jingasa. Your TN to be Hit gains a +3 bonus, with no penalties to Skill rolls. While there is such a thing as Poor Quality ashigaru armor, Fine Quality ashigaru armor simply becomes light armor.

Light Armor (Uncommon): Light armor is worn by most samurai footsoldiers, sacrificing protection for ease of movement. It includes the hatamaki-do, sode, and either a jingasa or kabuto. Your TN to be Hit gains a +5 bonus, and all Stealth and Athletics Skill rolls suffer a -1k0 penalty.

Heavy Armor (Uncommon): Heavy armor is composed of a full set: the hatamaki-do, sode, kote, haidate, suneate, and a kabuto. It may or may not include a mempo. Your TN to be Hit gains a +10 bonus, and all physical Skill rolls suffer a -1k0 penalty.

Riding Armor (Rare): A specialized heavy armor created for calvary bushi with the deflective sections angling downwards to protect against attacks from below. When unmounted the armor is mechanically identical to light armor, but when mounted gives a +10 bonus to your TN to be Hit.

Poison & Narcotics Purchasing poison requires the Underworld Lore Skill, as they are all contraband and dishonorable. There are two exceptions: alcohol and opium. Alcohol is perfectly legal, and purchased with the Commerce Skill. For single bottles, it is a common item. For a barrel or case, it is an uncommon item. Opium is contraband unless you have the Medicine Skill and permission from your superior to prescribe it for medicinal purposes, such as a painkiller in its rarer liquid form.

Poison rings are often used to administer poisons. Commonly

All of theses poisons are based on real-world substances. Kirei-ko is arsenic, ketsu is cyanide, warui paseri is hemlock, jeruko ropu is oleander, and fuantei shi is strychnine.

When Do I Wear Armor?

Armor is only worn during wartime or while on military duty. Bushi who wear their armor into villages are assumed to be bandits. In cities, they would be barbarians.

Wearing armor when not on campaign or performing military duty (as determined by your daimyo) is considered an Act of Vice for the Scene. This may not apply to armor worn for purely ceremonial purposes.

There is no bar against non-bushi wearing armor, although it is rare outside of warfare. Even during a Battle, most bushi consider it insulting for shugenja or other traditional noncombatants to be armored, as it implies the bushi are incapable of fulfilling their duty of protecting them.

called a neko-te, is a small thimble with a needle on the end. The assassin keeps tiny jar of the poison on him, covered with a calf-skin seal. The needle is pushed through the seal, the bottle turned upside down, and the need removed. The calf-skin is so tender it seals up the hole automatically. The seal usually needs to be replaced after five uses.

Each type of poison has a TN listed next to it. This is the TN to produce, purchase, use, and identify the poison. The effects of the poison cannot be identified after death without the Autopsy Skill, or before death with the Medicine Skill. Each poison also says whether it needs to be injected, ingested, inhaled, or requires exposure of the skin.

Alcohol (TN 10: Ingestion): Alcohol is a highly popular form of intoxicant in Hachigoku. There is little social stigma for drinking, except when drunkenness leads to dishonorable behavior. Violations of etiquette, as long as they are not actually criminal, are often ignored once the violator sobers up.

Hachigoku produces three popular forms of alcohol. Sake is by far the most common, and is generally used as a catchall term for all alcohol; it is made from fermented rice. Sochu is a distilled grain liquor, and extremely powerful. Plum wine is made from fermented plums, and is favored by gakusho and intellectuals for its sweetness.

When you drink alcohol, you must make an Earth roll with a TN equal to 10 x the number of drinks you have consumed during the Scene. Each failure accumulates certain effects: 1 failure leads to slurring, 2 failures leads to a -1k0 penalty to all rolls, 3 failures leads to a -2k0 penalty to all rolls, and 4 failures leads to being knocked unconscious. You can spend a Void Point to awaken during the Scene, but suffer a -3k0 penalty to all rolls. The dice penalties reduce once for every Scene afterwards as the hangover lingers; thus, after 3 failures with a -2k0 penalty for the rest of the Scene, during the next Scene you would still have a -1k0 penalty. You can spend a Void Point to sober up from the hangover immediately and end all penalties.

Fuantei shi (TN 45: Ingestion): This is one of the most frightening and dramatic poisons known to assassins of Hachigoku. Once it takes effect, the victim loses complete control of bodily functions as they throw themselves into violent convulsions, shaking themselves to death. It attacks the nervous system in less than fifteen minutes. Spasms quicken until the body is trapped in an arched position; any movement or sound nearby makes the spasms even more violent. Death takes only minutes.

It is a colorless, crystalline powder with a significant bitter taste. It is usually dissolved in liquids, but can be concealed in food as well, and can even be applied to the eyes. It can be extracted from certain bitter-tasting orange plants or a root called inu botan.

Fugu (TN 40: Ingestion): The poison of the famous “pufferfish” is contained in the fish's ovaries, and survives through the cooking process. It causes slow, painful death if ingested. If poisoned, the victim has a 50% chance of death. First you feel a slight numbness or tingling in the stomach, lips, and tongue. It also causes light euphoria and dizziness.

Insect venom (TN 10: Injection): Bee and wasp venom are typical examples of insect venoms, although more exotic specimens can be tapped. Victims affected come down with severe flu-like symptoms immediately after injection. Bee venom will kill if the victim is allergic, while wasp venom may kill painfully if injected in large amounts.

Jellyfish venom (TN 30: Exposure): Jellyfish venom can be incredibly dangerous. Contact causes severe chest pains, skin necrosis, larynx and throat swelling, breathing difficulties, ad cardiac depression. Skin irritation can cause permanent scarring. Death ca occur within minutes in a strong enough dose. When applied to a weapon, the venom increases the DR +3k3, and is expended after the first successful strike.

Jeruku ropu (TN 30: Ingestion, Inhalation): Jeruku ropu is an evergreen, and nearly all parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested or inhaled as smoke, but the most potent collection of poison lies I its flowers. Exposure causes a quickening heartbeat, sweating, irregular pulse, ad respiratory problems leading to death. Many species of bees use this pollen in making honey, creating a very tasty poison.

Kirei-ko (TN 15: Ingestion): Originally used as make-up by the Shosuro butei, they quickly discovered enough of it could kill. Kirei-ko affects the nervous system, causing dilated pupils, blurred vision, dry skin, dry mouth, and hallucinations. It dramatically affects the pulse as well, the heart rate and blood pressure becoming great enough to be heard several feet away. Suffering until death can last from several hours until days. It can be powdered or liquefied, and also fed to animals before consumption. Such hidden kirei-ko can last in the prepared food for hours, especially in sushi.

Ketsuiki-ringo (TN 20: Exposure, Ingestion, Injection, Inhalation): This poison (commonly called “ketsu”) is found in nearly 50 different fruits throughout Hachigoku, including peaches, apricots, cherries, and plums. After processing, it appears as a gray or brown powder smelling bitterly of almonds. Generally, it becomes toxic when combined with gastric acids in the stomach. Victims immediately begin suffocating, causing lack of breath, wheezing, headache, rapid pulse, dizziness, and fainting. Skilled matsuke have learned to identify ketsu by its bitter almond smell, the bright red cherry color of the victim's blood, and the slight pink hue of the victim's skin.

Knockout Drops (TN 20/30: Ingestion): This is not a particular poison, but instead represents a collection of poisons designed to cause unconsciousness after ingestion. They often have a bitter taste that can be detected with a Perception roll (TN 15). Those that detect it can make an Earth roll (TN 25) to resist the effects; they have spit out or ceased ingesting enough to stave off the effect, their body fighting off the minimal dosage partaken. The strength of the drop varies by its TN: if it lasts until the beginning of the next Scene it has a TN 20, and if it lasts for a full day is has a TN 30.

Opium (TN 15: Inhalation): Made from poppy blossoms and seeds imported from the Burning Sands and the Yobanjin lands, this thick, aromatic oil is burned to create a thick, sweet smoke. Inhaling the smoke, usually through elaborate pipes known as hookah, creates a sense of euphoria. Increased dosage can even cause hallucinations. Those who become addicted often suffer from “dreamless sleep,” a kind of walking trance. When they do sleep, nightmares torment them.

Scorpion venom (TN 20: Injection): While scorpion poison is more lethal than snake poison, it is usually injected in much smaller doses (the scorpion's stinger). Centuries of assassins have rectified that problem. Its poison is a neurotoxin that destroys nerve tissue and causes cardiac damage. Symptoms include swelling of the tongue and throat, spasms and convulsions, irregular pulse, water on the lungs and respiratory failure. These appear within two to four hours of injection, and death can occur between four and twenty-four hours. Some have been know to survive up to four days after poisoning.

Snake venom (TN 15: Ingestion or Injection): While there are a plethora of snake species in Hachigoku, there are only three kind of snake toxin. The first is a neurotoxin, attacking the nerves and muscles of the victim. The second is nearly acidic, causing tissue to melt on contact. The third is thrown into the eyes, causing blindness; this is from snakes who spit their venom. The first two poisons must be injected; the last may be ingested, buy only causes minimum discomfort when introduced into the digestive tract. Snake venom loses its potency minutes after exposure to air.

Spider venom (TN 40: Injection): Over a hundred different species of spider exist in Hachigoku, but the most popular for poisoners is the Black Piper. These spiders are jet black with a single white stripe (the “pipe”). The poison takes effect about eight hours after injection, and symptoms greatly resemble the flu. The victim's nasal passages become clogged with excessive fluid, and coughing becomes ragged as the lungs fill up. Chills and fever soon follow. Headaches, pallid skin, nausea, and diarrhea are also common symptoms. The victim finally dies from cardiac failure.

Warui paseri (TN 25: Ingestion): Different parts of the paseri plant are poisonous at different times of the year. The roots are poisonous during winter and fall, but nearly harmless during the spring. The leaves are almost always poisonous, but deadly during the spring. It takes almost a half-hour for the poison to take a effect, but once it does muscle control suffers gradual degeneration. The pulse slows, and then a dull pain sets in. Blindness often occurs in the final hours before death. The worst part, however, is that the mind stay awake and clear throughout the process of dying. Death occurs after several hours of suffering, once the lungs seize up. Immediate regurgitation is the only known cure.

ClothingClothing in Hachigoku varies by season and social caste, with most clothing made of hemp, cotton, or silk. Leather and fur are rarely used, except in the northern mountains or among the Shinjo uji of Kiiringoku.

Kimono: Kimono are considered the default clothing of the samurai caste; few others in the Celestial Order can afford them. Merchants and artisans of wealth often can, and various sumptuary laws in different uji han often regulate style so that the lower castes remain visually separate from samurai. The T-shaped kimono is woven of silk, designed to be taken apart for cleaning and stitched back together. The kimono is worn folded over in the front, across the chest, and held closed by the obi, a silk or satin sash acting as a belt; the size of the obi depends on the style of kimono. Samurai tend to wear thick but thin obi, where their two swords are stashed. Purses and other items are often kept within the chest fold, resting against the top of the obi. The sleeves of the kimono fall to the wrist when the arms are down, and are usually wide and loose, depending on style. Those worn by militaristic samurai tend to be plain and reflect their uji's traditional colors and mon; those worn by women, teishin, and prosperous members of the lower caste are highly decorative, with natural vistas, flowers, birds, and butterflies being common. There is among kimono aficionados a complex system of aesthetics varying by season. The kimono have several different variations:

Sokutai (Rare): An extremely elaborate and layered formal kimono worn by men, and only during court functions and ceremonies overseen by the Roju, or among the Otomo, Seppun, and Doji uji.

Juunihitoe (Rare): An extremely elaborate and layered formal kimono worn by women (it's literal translation is “twelve layer robe”), and only during court functions and ceremonies overseen by the Roju, or among the Otomo, Seppun, and Doji uji.

“Kimono” & Outfit:

At its most basic definition, kimono just means a “a thing to wear.” Everything else is flourish. In your character's outfit, there will be listed a kimono. There might even be 2 kimono. Simply assemble an outfit from the provided clothing appropriate to your character.

A male samurai bushi, for instance, probably wears komon, obi, nagajubin, umanoribakama, tabi, and zori.

A female samurai teishin likely wears homongi, obi, nagajubin, geta, and kanzashi.

A gakusho probably wears sumue, kiahan, and waragi.

And so on.

Assume that a fundoshi and shitagi are assumed to be part of your armor, if you have any.

Additional clothing items can be chosen as part of your traveling pack, yes, even the Rare items, or provided by your daimyo at appropriate times.

Furisode (Rare): The furisode is a formal woman's kimono, traditionally worn by unmarried women. The sleeves are huge, hanging below the waist with arms raised level. The obi is wide, covering from the top of the hips to just beneath the armpits. The length reaches below the feet, folding the extra length up underneath the obi, but still being tight about the legs. They are usually reserved for formal ceremonies, and highly decorated.

Homongi (Uncommon): Another kimono traditional to women, the homongi is not as elaborate as the furisode, with slightly shorter sleeves. The length is slightly shorter, folded to just above the feet and tight about the legs. It is usually worn during official functions in a daimyo's court or social gatherings. Like the furisode it is highly decorated.

Tomesode (Common): This kimono is similar to the homongi, but has drastically smaller sleeves, and is worn by married women. Its decorative patterns occur below the obi, and are considered more conservative.

Iromuji (Common): A single-colored kimono with sleeves hanging just above waist, worn by both men and women. The iromuji's length is just above the ankle. Often worn in casual settings or during tea ceremonies.

Komon (Common): A single-colored kimono often using a repeating pattern for decoration, it has small sleeves and a length varying from the ankle to the thigh, depending on whether it is traditonal for women or men. Samurai-ko often wear the men's style for ease of movement. Komon are usually worn outside the home.

Mofuku ((Uncommon): A plain kimono of black; undergarments and tabi are usually white. This is a traditional kimono for mourning.

Uchikake (Rare): The uchikake is more like a coat than a kimono proper. It is highly formal, decorated, and worn over another kimono during an important ceremony (such as a marriage) or stage production. It is not bound by an obi, but instead hangs loose like an overcoat, trailing along the floor.

Susohiki (Rare): The susohiki is similar to the homongi, but with a much longer trail. It is traditionally worn by geisha and dancers.

Obi (Common): Although not actually a kimono, it is an essential accessory. The obi is sash is wound about the waist like a belt, and can vary in width and thickness, usually by gender and formality. Its folds can as pockets and are tight enough to secure moderate weapons, such as the daisho or jitte.

Haori (Uncommon): A hip or thigh-length kimono-like jacket worn on formal occasions, such as in the daimyo's court, by samurai men. It has wide, pointed shoulders.

Nagajuban (Common): A thin, silken underkimono robe, usually white, worn to keep the kimono itself clean.

Hakama: The hakama is a wide divided (umanoribakama) or undivided (andonbakama) skirt. Umanoribakama (Common): The divided hakama; when tied, it resembles baggy trousers.

Traditionally worn over the obi by men, it is often worn by women who work during the colder seasons, or samurai-ko.

Andonbakama (Common): The undivided hakama. Worn traditionally by women, especially those pursuing kyujutsu as the kyudo art or the miiko (shrine maidens).

Nagebakama (Uncommon): Extremely long umanoribkama, designed to hinder movement and prevent violence when attending an official function for the daimyo in their court. Trying to move quickly in nagebakama requires an Etiquette/Agility roll (TN 15).

Footwear & legwear: There are various types of footwear in Hachigoku, made from materials as different as wood, cotton, grass, hemp, or, rarely, leather.

Kiahan (Common): Cotton leggings worn to protect against cold, insects, or as padding underneath the leg guards of armor.

Tabi (Common): Cotton socks that vary in length from ankle to knee. During cold seasons, the tabi may be insulated with extra layers of cotton. The toes of the tabi are split between the big toe and the rest, allowing them to be worn easily with sandals.

Zori (Common): Commonly woven of bamboo or grass, zori are sandals commonly worn by samurai and wealthier members of the lower castes.

Geta (Uncommon): Sandals made of wood, with either one or two slats raising the base. Usually worn during ceremonies or in cities. Their distinctive clacking noise makes them unsuitable for stealth.

Waragi (Common): Made from woven strands of hemp rope, the waragi are common to both the lower castes and gakusho.

Gutal (Rare): The gutal are thick leather boots with upturned toes, designed to help a rider remain in the stirrups. They are worn exclusively by Shinjo samurai.

Headgear: Aside from helmets, people of Hachigoku wear stuff on their heads, too. Eboshi (Rare): A small, peaked black cap worn by teishin for official functions and ceremonies. Hachimaki (Common): A bandana, usually red or white and often with writing, that symbolizes

intense concentration and effort on the part of the wearer. Often worn by students, bushi, laborers, and festival performers to soak up sweat from the forehead.

Kanzashi (Uncommon): Hair ornaments worn by women. Many different styles exist, including silk flowers, wooden combs, and even jade hairpins.

Kasa (Common): The kasa is a low, conical hat worn throughout Hachigoku, usually made of straw or bamboo strips. It often has a chin stap.

Tsunokakushi (Rare): A simple rectangular piece of white cloth worn in an ornate fashion atop a bride's head during a wedding ceremony.

Yutaka (Common): The yutaka are similar to kimono, but lighter and made of cotton. Some yukata are even made of hemp, among the lowest castes. The designs can be plain or simple, depending on season and social caste. Most yutaka resemble komon or iromuji kimono, while more elaborate styles are reserved for festivals and formal occasions. They are especially popular during the summer, but non-samurai often wear them year-round.

Fundoshi (Common): Fundoshi are an loin cloth undergarment worn by men or by both sexes when wearing armor. It is often worn by laborers when the weather is particularly hot.

Shitagi (Common): A white undershirt, made of cotton, commonly worn by samurai underneath their armor.

Gi (Uncomon): Often padded, these cotton kimono-like clothes are worn in the dojo during training, usually in unarmed combat. While the most traditional color is white, certain dojo may prefer other colors as a way of standing out.

Kesa (Uncommon): The kesa is a flowing, cotton robe wrapped around the wearer over the shoulder, usually leaving one shoulder bare. Other clothes may be worn under it. The exact style varies by shinden, as it is the traditional robe of the gakusho.

Samue (Uncommon): Made from cotton, the samue is a kimono-like garment worn by gakusho for labor, such as temple maintanence or field work. It is usually brown or indigo to differentiate it from more formal clothing.

Happi (Common): A haori-like jacket of cotton, light and often worn by merchants and at festivals. It has wide sleeves but lacks the pointed shoulders of the haori. Thick, leather happi (considered Rare) are usually worn by urban firefighters.

Netsuke (Common to Rare): Ornamental jewelry hung from the obi, usually by men.

Instruments Biwa (Uncommon): A four-stringed, pear-shaped lute. Fue (Common): A bamboo flute. Horagai (Rare): A seashell horn. Hyoushigi (Uncommon): Wooden or bamboo clappers, often

used in noh theatre. Ikko (Common): A small, hourglass-shaped hand drum. Kagura-suzu (Rare): A hand-held bell tree with three tiers of

pellet bells. Kokyu (Rare): A three-stringed fiddle. Koto (Uncommon): A thirteen-stringed harp, played resting

upon the ground horizontally. Mokugyo (Rare): Giant woodblock carved in the shape of a

fish, struck with a wooden stick. Often used in Shintao chanting.

O-tsuzumi (Common): A hand drum. Shakuhachi (Rare): A long bamboo flute used to aid

meditation. Shamisen (Uncommon): A three-stringed instrument similar to

a guitar, but with a thin body and longer neck. Popular for use in kabuki.

Shime-daiko (Uncommon): A small drum played with sticks (bachi) on a short stand.

Shouko (Uncommon): A small bronze gong. Tsuchibue (Common): A globular ceramic flute popular with

the lower castes. Tsuri-daiko (Uncommon): A large drum played with sticks

(bachi) on an ornate stand.

Everything ElseThere are a wide variety of items for purchase or crafting within Hachigoku. While many are analogous to medieval Europe or even modern times, those particular to Hachigoku are listed below.

Traveling Pack Contents:

Almost all characters are issued in their Discipline's Outfit a traveling pack. But what's in it? Basically, the traveling pack is a collection of miscellaneous items for traveling, but can also represent other items peculiar to your interests, hobbies, and specific needs.

You can have any 10 items in your traveling pack, chosen from the list below:

1 item or outfit of clothing, 1 instrument, basket, blacksmith's hammer, blanket, book, bottle of bleach or dye, bottle of plum wine, bottle of sake, bottle of shochu, bottle of water, bucket, candles (6), chomchog, chopsticks, coin purse, cooking pot, daisho stand, dice and dice cup, finger of jade, fishing net or pole, flint and tinder, folding fan, folding stool, go set, grappling hook, hand mirror, hanko, incense brazier, inro, jewelry or accessory (netsuke, earing, eyepatch, or bracelet), kiseru, kubi bakuro, lantern, makeup kit, mask, medicine kit, mortar and pestle, paper (10 sheets), parchment and charcoal (10 pieces of each), perfume vial, pet, rope (50'), sake set, scroll, shovel, sashimono, shogi set, small sculpture, small tent, spices, sumi-e writing box, sweets, tattoo kit, tea set, tissues (50) ukiyo-e painting, umbrella, walking stick, week's supply of rations (usually rice cakes, bean paste, and dried fish), whetstone, wig, yurt

Backpack (Common): The standard backpack is made of wicker, and designed like a box, worn over the shoulders and held in place with hemp or silk ties.

Books (Uncommon): Among samurai books are highly prized, with many even keeping journals. The books are bound with cords, but open and read right to left, with writing in vertical strips. People in towns are often hungry for books and shinbun, pamphlets that are serialized and cheap. Lower castes in rural areas are often illiterate.

Chomchog (Rare): A huge tent used in Kiiringoku. It can host a family of twelve comfortably. Its immense size requires a cart and oxen to transport.

Chopsticks (Common): Chopsticks are the most common utensil for eating, often made of wood but occasionally made of finer materials such as silver or ivory.

Daisho Stand (Uncommon): A special wooden stand crafted to hold a katana and wakizashi, sheathed, for display. Most have the swords held horizontally. However, special stands designed to hold the katana vertically, blade down, are often used by daimyo or military commanders during official audiences, allowing them to quickly draw and strike in case of emergency. Such a stand allows you to use the Iaijutsu Skill. Other stands may have a third set of hooks for holding a matched tanto.

Dice and Dice Cup (Common): Dicing in Hachigoku is a popular form of both recreation and gambling.

Folding Fan (Uncommon): Fans are a common accessory in Hachigoku, used by both men and women. Many are made of sandalwood ribs with paper designs, while exquisite ones are made of ivory with silk designs.

Folding Stool (Common): A small folding stool is used often used when outside, so that samurai do not have to sit on the ground. Inside a building, people of Hachigoku tend to sit on the floor and do not use funriture such as chairs or couches.

Furoshiki Sack (Common): A bundle of fabric folded and thrown over the shoulder; used to carry small items.

Go Set (Uncommon): A square board for playing the game of go, and the white and black stones used. Elaborate Fine Quality sets include lacquered bowls to store each kind of stone, and boards made of expensive hardwood.

Hanko (Common): This is a personal seal (or chop) made from wood and unique to each samurai. First dipped in ink, the hanko is applied to letters and official documents as a signature. Each hanko is registered by the local daimyo, and usually incorporate the samurai's full name. Prominent artisans, merchants, and gakusho also use hanko.

Inro (Uncommon): A small, segmented box used to carry personal belongings. Kemari Ball (Rare): A leather ball used in the teishin game kemari. Kiseru (Common): A simple, straight smoking pipe. Kube Bukuro (Uncommon): A “head sack,” used to transport the head of an enemy without

forcing one to touch dead flesh. Also commonly used by Hida samurai to transport the heads of slain Shadowlands creatures for study.

Lantern (Common or Rare): Lanterns are a common sight in Hachigoku. Most are paper lanterns, carried on long staves or hung in the air; when not in use, the candles are removed and the lanterns easily fold up into round or square parcels. Metal lanterns are much rarer, and smuggled in by foreign trade.

Medicine Kit (Rare): This includes basics such as needles and thread, cloth bandages, and herbal disinfectant. It also includes longer needles needed for acupuncture. Each kit is good for up to fifty uses of the Medicine Skill.

Pet (Uncommon): Pets are small animals (separate from livestock) owned purely for personal

companionship. Popular pets in Hachigoku include dogs, cats, birds, and even monkeys. Hachigoku boasts some curious caged pets as well, usually held in wooden cages. The most popular include insects (such as lucky crickets, large scorpions, preying mantises, and butterflies) and birds (especially songbirds such as canaries and nightingales). Often, these caged pets are bought just to be released for luck or spiritual gain.

Sake Set (Common): A crafted porcelain bottle and small cups (usually four in a set) for drinking sake.

Scrolls (Uncommon): While books are in common use, official documents and religious texts (including spells) remain written in flowing scrolls.

Shogi Set (Uncommon): A popular game similar to Western chess, it is a tactical square board game with several pieces with unique moves.

Sumi-e Box (Uncommon): A small box containing brushes, several ink stones, a water bowl, and sand to speed the drying process.

Tea Set (Uncommon): A ceramic bowl for mixing the tea, a kettle for boiling, and ceramic cups for drinking (usually four in a set).

Tissue (Common): Paper is so rife in Hachigoku that samurai often keep small squares of it tucked into their sleeves for use as a handkerchief, which is quickly tossed to the ground and forgotten.

Umbrella (Common): Made of bamboo and thick paper, the umbrella is a common sight in the cities of Hachigoku.

Yurt (Rare): A large tent limited to Kiiringoku, it can house a family of four comfortably.

Qualities: Advantages & Disadvantages

Qualities are character traits that make your samurai stand out from others, something that personalizes them beyond just Traits, Skills, and even Okuden. Qualities can either add a bonus to your natural abilities or flavor (Advantages), or represent aspects of your character that cause problems, flaws that must be overcome (Disadvantages). Whether beneficial or detrimental, Advantages and Disadvantages vary in magnitude: Minor or Major. Minor ones offer only a minor mechanical or social benefit, or no tangible benefit at all. Major ones offer a significant bonus, or reflect a supernatural influence on the character.

Every character at creation gains two Minor Advantages for free. Any additional Minor Advantages must be balanced with Minor Disadvantages; Major Advantages or Disadvantages are equivalent to two Minor Advantages or Disadvantages, respectfully. Thus, you could take one Major Advantage and one Minor Advantage by also taking one Minor Disadvantage, three Major Advantages by also taking one Major Disadvantage and two Minor Disadvantages.

Some Advantages can be bought after creation and some Disadvantages can be bought off, at a cost of 5 XP for Minor Qualities, 10 XP for Major Qualities. Each Quality has a descriptor in its title indicating whether it can be purchased or bought off during play:

Inherent: Cannot be purchased or removed after character creation. Trained: Can be purchased or removed, but will usually require some time depending on its cost

to develop or overcome. Minor Qualities require 2 Season Actions to purchase or remove, while Major Qualities require 4 Season Actions.

Granted: Can be purchased or removed, but only if the opportunity presents itself during play, and often as a great boon or doom.

Advantages

Able Drinker (Minor) (Trained)Your ability to hold your sake is impressive, and your stomach is ironclad. You never suffer the negative penalties of drinking sake or other alcoholic beverages. You cannot take alcohol as part of the Compulsion Disadvantage.

Absolute Direction (Minor) (Inherent)You are never lost. You always know which way is north, even in a garden maze in the middle of the night—or even after hours of fleeing from enemies. However, there are places in the Shadowlands that mislead even those with Absolute Direction, so be careful beyond the Wall...

Akodo Armor (Major, Minor for Akodo) (Granted) You have inherited or been gifted with a suit of light or heavy Akodo armor, replacing the light or heavy armor in your Outfit. If you don't have light or heavy armor, you cannot take this Advantage. The armor crafted by the Akodo are exquisite examples of art and utility, and famous for battle-readiness. The Akodo are fond of saying that Matsu thrive on fighting, but Akodo live for war. The Akodo armor is finely crafted and always considered Fine Quality. Thus, light Akodo armor grants a +7 TN to be Hit bonus, and heavy Akodo armor grants a +12 TN to be Hit bonus. Additionally, the authority and legacy of an Akodo suit impresses all who are confronted with it and imbues the samurai with confidence, giving the wearer a Free Raise on all Awareness or Willpower rolls. Finally, the wearer reduces all Wounds taken from Battle at the end of a Wave (as Casualties) by 1k1. Thus, a bushi wearing heavy Akodo armor reduces Battle Table Wounds by 3k3 dice instead of 2k2. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Akodo samurai.

Ally (Major, Minor for Doji) (Granted)You are connected. Through family, personality, or luck, you have the friendship of a useful person of influence. This person has some measure of influence and wealth, such a samurai with land or a significant political position in the uji, and would be willing to risk their honor in aiding you, but only in secret. The ally can be of considerably more influence, such as a member of the kuge or a Roju official, or whose devotion extends to nearly anything, regardless of honor; if so, the Advantage counts as two Major Advantages. If the ally is both extremely high in station and devotion, the Advantage counts as three Major Advantages. This is consider a Minor Advantage for Doji samurai, including its advanced costs (an ally of extremely high station and devotion counts as three Minor Advantages, for example). You may take this Advantage multiple times, each time for a different Ally.

Ambidextrous (Minor) (Trained)You may use both hands without penalty. Any character who does not invest in Ambidextrous suffers a -0k1 penalty when using their off-hand.

Balance (Major, cannot be taken by Mosenshi) (Trained)You have the ability to remain neutral, even level-headed, regardless of your inner emotional state. You may ignore any comments designed to taunt or impel you to react, ignoring any modifiers to Honor rolls or opposed Awareness and Willpower rolls. Your self-control lends itself well to dueling; during an Iaijutsu Duel you can Raise a number of times equal to your Void Ring + Earth Ring instead just your Void. You cannot take the Mosenshi Advantage or Brash Disadvantage, or any Disadvantage making you more prone to violence.

Quality Format:

Quality Name (Minor or Major) (Descriptor)Quality description and mechanics.

Blackmail (Major, Minor for Bayushi) (Granted)You have information or evidence that you hold over someone's head. Blackmail is similar to the Ally Advantage, but far more dangerous—and less public, because a person being blackmailed is more willing to do terrible things than an Ally would. However, it should be noted that those being blackmailed don't like it, and overuse of this Advantage can lead to... unpleasant results. This person has some measure of influence and wealth, such a samurai with land or a significant political position in the uji, and would be willing to risk their honor in aiding you, or even violate it. The ally can be of considerably more influence, such as a member of the kuge or an Imperial official; if so, the Advantage counts as two Major Advantages. You can have any one favor within their power performed, no matter its publicity or consequences, by discharging the Advantaging and losing the benefits of Blackmail. This is consider a Minor Advantage for Bayushi samurai, including its advanced costs (blackmail of an extremely high station individual as two Minor Advantages). You may take this Advantage multiple times, each time for a different subject.

Bland (Minor) (Inherent)You are bland by nature and tend to be unassuming, a quiet one with average build and features. Because you are not striking in any way, it is easy to forget your name and appearance. You have no real distinguishing features, and most people simply look away when you pass by. Being bland is both a boon and a flaw: being bland gives you a greater chance of success when disguised or trying not to be noticed, but it also gives you a smaller chance of being recognized for your accomplishments. You give a +10 TN penalty to any roll to recognize or spot you when not actively hiding, but you are treated as having 1 Glory Rank lower than you actually have in social situations. You cannot take any Quality that gives you a distinguishing feature (such as One Eye), nor can you take Blessing of Benten, Curse of Benten, or Dangerous Beauty.

Blessing of Benten (Major, Minor for Doji) (Inherent)You fascinate people. It may be your looks or charm, or maybe both. You just have that certain “something.” Whenever you make a roll involving persuasion, you gain a +1k1 bonus (+1k2 if the target is attracted to you). You may not take the Bland or Dangerous Beauty Advantages, nor can you take any other Blessing or Curse Quality. This counts as a Minor Advantage for Doji samurai.

Blessing of Bishamon (Major, Minor for Akodo or Matsu) (Inherent)Your prowess in battle seems blessed by the Fortunes. You receive 1 Free Raise for every 2 Raises you make in combat. You may not take any other Blessing or Curse Quality. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Akodo or Matsu samurai.

Blessing of Daikoku (Major, Minor for Shinjo or Yasuki) (Inherent)You have the golden touch. You gain 2 free Ranks in the Commerce Skill, in addition to nay gained by your Ryu or Qualities. You also gain a +2k0 bonus to all social Skill rolls with those below the samurai caste, and can always count on help from the common folk when in trouble. You cannot take any other Blessing or Curse Quality. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Shinjo or Yoritomo samurai.

Blessing of Ebisu (Major) (Inherent)Ebisu allows no samurai of worth to fail their duty lightly. You gain a +2k2 bonus to all Honor rolls. You may not take any other Blessing or Curse Qualities.

Blessing of Fukurokujin (Major, Minor for Isawa) (Inherent)Your thirst for knowledge, both temporal and spiritual, is insatiable. All your Lore, Meditation, and Theology Skills above Rank 3 count double towards determining your Insight. You cannot take any

other Blessing or Curse Quality. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Isawa samurai.

Blessing of Hotei (Major) (Inherent)The fortitude of the Fortune Hotei imbues your soul. Effects which cause you to lose Void Points or forbid you from spending Void Points do not affect you; this does not include any voluntary Void Point expenditure. Also, you gain a +1k1 bonus on all Void Ring rolls. You may not intentionally choose any Qualities that prevent you from spending Void Points, nor can you choose any other Blessing or Curse Qualities.

Blissful Betrothal (Minor) (Granted)You are betrothed and couldn't be happier about it, especially since your spouse-to-be is well connected. For one reason or another, the arrangement works out to the benefit of both parties. The wedding is scheduled to take place in one year. Once married, you exchange this Advantage for one of the following Advantages: Ally (within the spouse's family), Ear of the Roju, or Wealthy. Of course, such a wonderful marriage doesn't come without its drawbacks. You'll have to see to your betrothed's welfare, and disgruntled suitors may eye your happiness with jealousy. Be on your guard.

Blood of Osano-wo (Major, Minor for Hida or Yoritomo) (Inherent)You are a descendant of the great Osano-wo, the Hida warrior whose stamina and battle-fury rivaled the fury of nature itself. His blood has rendered you resistant to cold, heat, and extremes of weather. You cannot be harmed by any weather-related phenomena and always succeed at any Stamina rolls involving temperature changes. Anyone attempting to cast a spell involving lightning or weather (GM's discretion) on you against your will has a +10 TN penalty. You are also considered to have a +1 Glory Rank when in lands ruled by the Hida or Yoritomo uji. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Hida and Yoritomo samurai, except for those with only the respective Discipline.

Chosen by the Oracles (Major) (Granted)Occasionally, a child is noticed by the Oracles and guided gently through their life. While it does not mean the child will become the next Oracle, it does mean the Oracle has a definite interest in such a person's life and well-being, to the point of interfering with their life if they aren't doing what the Oracle thinks best. You are one such person. Choose a Ring, whose Oracle is interested in you. When making any roll involving that Ring, you a gain a +Xk0 bonus, where X is equal to your Insight Rank. Additionally, your Glory Rank is considered 1 rank higher when dealing with shugenja or gakusho if an Oracle of Light is interested in you, or your Glory becomes Infamy if an Oracle of Darkness is interested in you.

Clear Thinker (Minor) (Inherent)It isn't easy to trick you. Whenever someone tries to confuse, befuddle, or lie to you, the TN has a +10 TN penalty.

Combat Reflexes (Minor) (Trained)You are quick to react under the stress of combat. You may reroll any 1 die when rolling for Initiative, but must keep the new roll.

Crab Hands (Major, Minor for Hida) (Inherent)You have a familiarity with many forms of weaponry, and wield even the most foreign with some degree of effectiveness. The legendary Kami Hida the Crab was renowned for his ability to turn anything he touched into a weapon, and those who see you fight believe his spirit watches over you. When using a Bujutsu Skill you gain a +1k0 bonus, and your dice still explode even if it is a Skill you

are unskilled with. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Hida samurai.

Curse of Jurojin (Major, Minor for Bayushi) (Inherent)The Fortune of disease deems you unworthy of his attention, which is a boon. You gain a +2k2 bonus to all rolls to resist poison or illness. You may not take any other Blessing or Curse Quality. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Bayushi samurai.

Dangerous Beauty (Minor) (Inherent)There is something mysterious and dangerous about you that people find alluring and fascinating. It could be your haunting eyes, your crooked smile, the rugged scar on your cheek, the way you flirt shamelessly... You gain a +2k0 bonus on all Sincerity Skill rolls or when otherwise using less-than-honorable temptations to persuade others with your allure. You cannot take the Benten's Blessing, Benten's Curse, or Bland Qualities.

Daredevil (Minor) (Granted)You are a born risk-taker. Whenever you do something exceptionally risky, dangerous, foolhardy, or seemingly impossible, the GM secretly rolls a die. If the die is even, you receive a +10 bonus to your roll (unknown to you). Otherwise, there is no benefit. Those who try the same thing twice discover it's not so daring once it has been done before.

Darling of the Court (Minor) (Granted)Recently, you did something clever or heroic and one of the kuge thanked you personally, much to your surprise. You never met or spoke with that person again. Still, the countless teishin and hangers-on have begun harrying you at every turn, hoping some of the kuge's favor will rub off on them. It's a bit of an annoyance at times, but you must admit it's fun to be popular. For the next 6 months, your Glory is effectively (but not actually) 2 Ranks higher in social situations, and you may spend a Season Action to make any of your sycophants a permanent Ally (per the Ally Advantage; if you wish to increase the station or devotion of the Ally, spend an additional Season Action appropriately). After 6 months, this Advantage vanishes. Fame is fleeting. Make the best of it.

Death Trance (Minor) (Trained)You understand that death has no hold over you, taking the philosophy of Bushido to heart. When you face death, you enter a thoughtless trance giving you great courage in the face of adversity. By spending an Action, you enter the trance until the end of the Scene. While in the trance you are immune to all attempts to intimidate or otherwise invoke fear (even magical) in you during combat. This detachment also causes you to automatically fail any Awareness rolls.

Ear of the Roju (Major, Minor for Otomo or Seppun) (Granted)You have a semi-direct line to the Roju, whether through familial connections, favors, social or political influence, or simple respect. The terms of the connection must be clearly defined before beginning play. You gain +1 Glory Rank, and a Free Raise on all social rolls within sight of the city Otosan Uchi, or involving teishin and metsuke. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Otomo and Seppun samurai.

Exceptional Honor (Minor) (Inherent)You have always held yourself to a higher standard than others, and your dedication to Bushido utmost in your heart. You begin the game with an additional Honor Rank.

Gaijin Tongue (Major, Minor for various factions) (Trained)

You have the rare knowledge of a foreign tongue, either a gaijin language or one of the rare languages used by Hachigoku's nonhuman inhabitants. You are considered fluent in the language, even if your Hachigoku accent can never be lost, and literate if the language has a written form. Be careful, though, for consorting with gaijin is punishable with death under Hachigoku law, even if simply knowing their language is not. Revealing your knowledge unless specifically commanded to will likely result in odd stares at the least, heinous dishonor at the worst. Some languages are considered Minor Advantages for certain samurai, and are noted appropriately. You can take this Advantage multiple times, each time for a different language.

Languages among the gaijin include: Mekhet: tongue used throughout the Burning Sands. (Minor for Shinjo) Ruumal; language of the Ivory Kingdoms, has a written form. (Minor for Yoritomo) Senpet: language of the Senpet Empire, has a written form. Ujik-hai: language of the Ujik-hai nomads. (Minor for Shinjo) Yobanjin: language of the Yobanjin, has a written form. (Minor for Kasuga or Isawa)

Languages among the nonhumans known to Hachigoku include: Ashalan: shares a written form with the Naga. Kenku: has a written form only readable by shugenja. Mokujin (Minor for Yasuki) Naga (Nagash); shares a written form with the Ashalan. (Minor for Kitsune) Nezumi; has a written language, but the reliance on scent as part of both speech and reading

diminishes human fluency. (Minor for Hida) Ningyo (Minor for Yoritomo) Ogre Oni (Minor for Kuni or Isawa) Zokujin (Minor for Akodo or Ikoma)

Gift of the Togashi (Major) (Granted)You have found favor with the Togashi, and been granted their highest honor. The ise zume have blessed you with one of their mystic tattoos. You gain one ise zume Tattoo (see the Togashi Ise Zume Discipline), and cannot take this Advantage if you are already a Togashi ise zume. If you are not an Agasha or Mirumoto samurai, you must have the Ally Advantage, with the ally being a member of the Togashi who presumably pulled the strings necessary.

Great Potential (Minor) (Inherent)You are naturally talented in a certain skill, and will one day be a true master. Choose a Skill. When using it, you may make any number of Raises, regardless of your Void Ring.

Hands of Stone (Major, Minor for Gakusho) (Trained)You are a prodigy at hand-to-hand combat. In bare-handed combat, your damage rating is 0k2 instead of 0k1. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Gakusho.

Heart of Vengeance (Minor or Major) (Granted)For some reason or another, a particular faction has earned your wrath, whether the injury was real or imagined. They view you with the same distaste. Choose a faction; if it is a a Dainagon uji or Fudai uji this is considered a Major Advantage. If it is any other faction, this is considered a Minor Advantage. Whenever you use a Skill against a member of that faction, you gain a +0k1 bonus. You Glory is always considered Infamy when dealing with that faction.

Heartless (Minor) (Trained)All attempts to woo or sway your heart to pleas of compassion, love, or courtesy fall on deaf ears. Any appeal to your heart shall find it made of stone. Any Skills used with Awareness in such an attempt (such as seduction, poetry, acting, or sincerity) have a -1k1 penalty. You cannot take the Insensitive Disadvantage.

Heisho (Minor) (Granted)You have suffered some traumatic experience, such as being trapped in a burning castle and buried alive, or the sole survivor of an oni attack. Every day you expect to die. You are immune to all attempts to intimidate or otherwise invoke fear (even magical) in you. Also, you get a Free Raise to detect traps, concealed weapons, and similar dangers. However, this tends to make you fatalistic and numb, giving you a -1k1 penalty to all rolls for detecting lies or resisting another's Sincerity. It's not like it matters, after all.

Hero of the People (Major, Minor for Ronin or Mirumoto) (Granted)You have overcome the class barrier between the samurai and the peasantry. Peasants identify with you, viewing you as a leader and hero. Through years of hard work and devotion, you achieved a degree of acceptance in a particular region of Hachigoku. Choose a region controlled by an Uji. The peasants here look to you as a hero and friend because of your deeds, and the local magistrates choose to ignore you as long as your behavior is not extreme or outlandish. You may not get paid for your services here (if you are not supported by a daimyo), but you can always find free room and board. As long as you treat the people with respect, they will go out of their way to aid you. You gain a +1k1 bonus on all social rolls with those below the samurai caste, and non-samurai consider your Glory 2 Ranks higher. Ronin with this Advantage are likely to be offered fealty by an uji, and may consider it a Minor Advantage. This is also considered a Minor Advantage for Mirumoto samurai.

Inkyo (Minor, Gakusho only) (Inherent)Before becoming a gakusho and following the Tao of Shinsei, you were sworn to an uji and shaved your head because of retirement or misadventure. Some within your old uji may still remember you, so why and how you left is usually important. Choose an uji, other than the Asako or Togashi. You can purchase Skills and Qualities as if you were a member. Only gakusho may purchase this Advantage.

Innate Ability (Minor, Shugenja only) (Trained)Your understanding of a particular spell is so complete you can cast it from memory, no longer needing a scroll. If you do use a scroll during the casting you gain a Free Raise. This Advantage can be taken more than once, each time for a different spell, and you must have previously learned the spell. Only shugenja may take this Advantage.

Inquisitor's Strike (Major, Minor for Isawa) (Granted)You have inherited or been gifted with an Inquisitor's Strike wakizashi, replacing the wakizashi normally present in your Outfit. If you do not receive a wakizashi in your Outfit, you cannot take this Advantage. The Inquisitor's Strike has an admixture of jade powder blended into the steel using a method highly guarded by Asako swordsmiths. The blades are typically given to Onmyoji Inquisitors, or those who count such shugenja as ancestors. This is a Fine Quality wakizashi (giving a +1k0 to attack rolls) and does +1k1 damage against those with the Shadowlands Taint. In addition it's considered a jade item for all purposes, equivalent to a finger of jade if one is traveling through the Shadowlands. Once the jade is spent, the blade becomes tarnished and no longer provides a bonus against Tainted foes, but can be recharged after a week by casting Jade Strike on the blade. This is

considered a Minor Advantage for Isawa samurai.

Kage Yakiin (Major, Bayushi only) (Granted)You have been gifted with a kage yakiin, a shadow brand that gives you increased ability within shadows. It is a tattoo somewhere on your body (preferably somewhere usually covered) that can only be seen in direct sunlight. The secret to creating kage yakiin is closely guarded by the shugenja of the Shoshi uji, and typically only given to samurai sworn to the Bayushi uji directly or by vassalage, and even then only after grave consideration. You gain a +1k1 bonus to all rolls made while in dim light or darkness; a large room lit only by candles (not lanterns or torches) would be considered dimly lit. Any sunlight cancels this benefit, even a single beam. If the kage yakiin itself is exposed to sunlight, you take 1k1 damage per round. If you ever gain a second kage yakiin, you gain 1 Shadow Point, and have come to the attention of the Nothing. Every kage yakiin after that garners an additional Shadow Point. If you ever begin acting strangely or manifesting the powers of the Nothing, your masters will kill you. Only Bayushi samurai may take this Advantage.

Kaiu Katana (Major, Minor for Hida) (Granted)The Kaiu katana are legendary instruments of warfare crafted by only the greatest Kaiu smiths. Such blades carry the strength of the mountains, forged of iron mined deep beneath the foundations of the Twilight Mountains. You have inherited or been gifted one, replacing the katana in your Outfit. If your Outfit does not contain a katana, you cannot take this Advantage. It is considered a Fine Quality item, giving a +1k0 bonus to attack rolls, but its damage rating is 2k3. It must never leave your side, and can only be broken by powerful magic, such as that wielded by the Fortunes, Oracles, or dragons. If anyone outside your family ever touches the blade, you lose 1 Honor Point. If you lose the katana, you lose 2 Honor Ranks. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Hida samurai.

Kakita Katana (Major, Minor for Doji) (Granted)You have inherited or been gifted with a Kakita katana, one of the finest blades in Hachigoku, swift and deadly. The Ashidaka swordsmiths forge the Kakita katana to be keen and quick, steel incredibly flexible and responsive to the wielder. You have inherited or been gifted one, replacing the katana in your normal Outfit. If your Outfit does not contain a katana, you cannot take this Advantage. It is considered a Fine Quality item, but all Iaijutsu and Kenjutsu Skill rolls using it have a +1k1 bonus, instead of the normal +1k0. Also, by making 4 Raises and spending a Void Point, the wielder can cut through stone up to a number of feet equal to their Water Ring. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Doji samurai.

Kharmic Tie (Minor) (Inherent)The people of Hachigoku believe in reincarnation, that every soul lives a hundred thousand lifetimes. You feel uncomfortable around those with you whom you had bad relationships with in a previous life, and comfortable around those with whom you had good relationships. You have found someone you are connected to in a past life (even if they do not feel the same pull). Whenever you spend a Void Point for or against them directly, it counts as two Void Points spent. For example, if attacking someone you have a kharmic tie with and spending a Void Point, the bonus would be +2k2 instead of +1k1. You may take this Advantage multiple times, each time for a different subject.

Large (Minor) (Inherent)You are big. The average Hachigoku citizen is 5' 6” to 5' 8” tall. You are 6' to 6' 3”. All your melee damage rolls gain a +1k0 bonus, but you suffer a -1k0 penalty for all non-Bugei rolls in social situations.

Luck (Minor) (Inherent)The Fortunes must be looking out for you. You may reroll one unsuccessful roll during a session. You cannot reroll any roll made using the Luck Advantage, nor can you take the Unluck Disadvantage. You may take this Advantage multiple times.

Magic Resistance (Major) (Inherent)Perhaps due to some ancestral legacy or accident of birth, you are highly resistant to spell effects. Any spell targeting you (even if you don't resist) has a -1k1 penalty.

Meek (Major, Minor for Miya) (Inherent)Try as you might, you never seem threatening. Unless you're having a serious effect on combat (GM's discretion), opponents won't attack you until they have disposed of your allies first. If you're not attacking, casting spells, or holding any offensive weapons, they might not bother to attack you at all. Your demeanor is so non-threatening you gain a +1k0 bonus on all rolls involving diplomacy and negotiation, even if you're simply begging for your life. This does nothing to stop others from capturing, questioning, or verbally harassing you, however. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Asako and Miya samurai.

Medium (Major, Minor for Toritaka) (Inherent)You were born with a deep, primal connection to the Spirit Realms and can converse freely with the spirits of the dead. Any non-Tainted undead creature or spirit of the deceased will respond positively to you unless you treat them with overt hostility. Additionally, you gain a Free Raise on all social rolls denizens of the Spirit Realms beyond the physical realm holding Hachigoku, except for those native to the Shadowlands (this bonus still affects those summoned from Jigoku, including oni). This is considered a Minor Advantage for Toritaka samurai.

Methodical (Minor) (Inherent)You have spent years fighting criminals and outsmarting them... or living with them. You know that success or failure lies in the details. You gain a +1k1 bonus on all rolls for finding or concealing secret compartments and contraband, if spending extra time and care examining criminal bases and ships.

Mosenshi (Major, Minor for Hida, Matsu, and Moto) (Trained)Mosenshi is an ancient martial discipline that embraces the fury of a samurai and elevates his yu (courage) above all other considerations. Those who train in this method can focus their minds into a pure killing spirit. There is no fear, no mercy, and little calculation in a mosenshi in full rage. The risk, however, is tremendous as a mosenshi's other senses and instincts become dulled, and the fury eats away at their stamina quickly. Such bushi burn like wildfires, then abruptly flicker and die, trusting to their comrades to carry them through.

When in combat, you can spend a Void Point as an Action and enter the mosenshi rage. For a number of rounds equal to your Earth, you gain an XkX bonus to all Damage rolls, where X is your Earth, and you reduce all Wound Penalties by your Earth. You are immune to Fear effects. However, during this time you can take no Actions other than movement and attacks, and all attacks must be made as Full Attacks. At the end of this time, you fall down exhausted (considered to be at the Down Wound Level) for the rest of the Scene.

This is considered a Minor Advantage for Hida, Matsu, and Moto samurai.

Musha Shugyo (Minor, Uji Samurai only) (Granted)You, a “ronin,” are actually a bushi on a warrior pilgrimage, a “musho shugyo.” You have, for a time, left the ways of your uji as you wander Hachigoku seeking to test your skills against the fighting styles

of many different samurai. Everyone you encounter during this time will treat you as a ronin, although they will respect the musho shugyo and believe it strengthens resolve in a young warrior. Most musho shugyo last a minimum of one year and can only be ended with the completion of an act of incredible skill and prowess set by the ronin's former sensei. When you feel you have learned all you can from your journey, you may return to your uji and resume training. You cannot learn any more Okuden in your Discipline until then, but you can learn any other Okuden a sensei is willing to teach you in that time. Furthermore, during your wandering you receive additional Season Actions equal to your Glory Rank every Season; these can only be spent on improving Traits and Skills, or buying Emphases or Okuden. You gain no points to buy Holdings, but gain points equal to your Honor Rank for buying Holdings once you are restored to your uji. Only samurai sworn to an uji may take this Advantage.

Obsidian Katana (Major, Minor for Bayushi) (Granted)You have inherited or been gifted with an obsidian katana, replacing the katana normally present in your Outfit. If you do not receive a katana in your Outfit, you cannot take this Advantage. The obsidian katana's steel has an admixture of enchanted obsidian blended into the metal, a method rumored to be practiced among Shosuro and other unsavory swordsmiths. There isn't enough obsidian to risk the Taint or Shadow corruption, but will incur the wrath of any ninja-hunter or Tsukai-sagasu. The obsidian katana functions as a normal Fine Quality katana (granting a +1k0 bonus to attack rolls) until it strikes a spellcaster (such as a shugenja or maho-tsukai). The blade dispels any one magical effect (at the wielder's discretion) with a successful strike (in addition to normal effects) and causes the TN for the next spell cast by the target to have a +15 penalty, unless the spellcaster spends a Void Point. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Bayushi samurai.

Personal Mon (Minor, Samurai only) (Granted)You possess a personal mon, designed by you and registered with the Miya shisha. You gain 1 Glory Rank. You gain a Free Raise on all social rolls with members of your profession when you present your mon. Only members of the samurai caste may take this Advantage.

Precise Memory (Minor) (Inherent)You have a phenomenal ability to memorize facts, figures, and written material. You are not infallible, however, nor does it give you any special ability to understand information, or to learn new skills and languages. You simply never forget something you have seen or read.

Quick (Minor) (Inherent)You're just faster than others. When determining Initiative, you gain a +1k0 bonus.

Quick Healer (Minor) (Inherent)Your body recovers from damage quicker than most. When healing Wounds, your Stamina is considered 1 Rank higher.

Read Lips (Minor) (Trained)You have trained yourself to read the lips of any whose mouth you can observe speaking. You must know the language being spoken, however.

Scholar (Minor) (Granted)You are a seeker of wisdom and words, and many value your understanding of history, literature, and philosophy. Your devotion to such learning has sharpened your memory regarding the past and the lesson it imparts. You gain +1k1 bonus to all Lore Skill rolls.

Scorpion's Touch (Major, Minor for Bayushi) (Inherent)Quite simply, you are very good at acting in a devilish manner. The legendary Kami Bayushi the Scorpion was a gifted master of misdirection and ruthlessness, and see the world through his eyes. Whatever needs doing must be done, at any cost. When using a Low Skill you gain a +1k0 bonus, and your dice still explode even if it is a Skill you are unskilled in.

Scroll Cache (Minor, Shugenja only) (Granted)Your family is particularly generous with magical knowledge and your sensei was indulgent. You begin the game with an additional spell scroll that you can cast of your choice. This Advantage can be taken multiple times, and only by shugenja.

Sea Legs (Minor) (Trained)You have a natural affinity for the sea and feel perfectly at home in or out of the water. You gain a +1k1 bonus on all Athletics and Sailing Skill rolls for swimming or when on watercraft.

Sensei (Minor or Major) (Granted)You and your sensei have developed a bond that makes you inseparable You would do anything to protect your sensei and his Discipline, and he would do the same. The cost of the sensei depends on his renown and rank. Your sensei will not be able to accompany you on journeys (he has responsibilities, after all), but he will be able to assist you in other ways, as well as being available for future training. If purchased as a Minor Advantage, the sensei is Rank 3 in both Insight and Discipline Ranks. If purchased as a Major Advantage, the sensei is Rank 5 in both. If you ever join another Discipline, you lose the benefits of this Advantage until you are able to return to your sensei's training. Even then, your sensei may still look down on you with disfavor for leaving his instruction.

Sign Language (Minor) (Trained)You know the secret language of gestures and body movements used by clandestine groups, such as various ninja sects or the Kolat, or even certain teishin gakuen. You can use this to communicate silently with others who know the language, if they can see you. Unlike a general sign language used by samurai to communicate battle orders, this is a complex, nuanced, and secret system. This Advantage can be taken multiple times, each time for a new sign language.

Small (Minor) (Inherent)You are smaller than average, usually around 5' to 5' 3''. You gain a +2k0 bonus to all Stealth rolls, but your movement rate is figured as if your Water Ring were 1 Rank lower, to a minimum of 1.

Social Position (Minor) (Granted)You have a higher position within the Empire's social order than you normally would. This comes from being related to a daimyo, performing an impressive feat before your gempukku, having a great omen appear when you were born, etc. You should record exactly how you gained this Advantage. You gain an additional Glory Rank.

Soul of Green Walls (Minor) (Trained)You have spent a great deal of time living within the cities of Hachigoku. Whenever you are within an urban environment, including a kyuden (palace) or castle town, you gain a Free Raise on all Hunting, Investigation, and Etiquette Skill rolls, as well as the benefits of the Absolute Direction Advantage.

Strength of the Earth (Major) (Inherent)You have legendary stamina. You may ignore some effects of Would levels, decreasing your Wound

Level Penalty by your Earth. You may take this Advantage multiple times.

Tactician (Major, Minor for Akodo) (Granted)You can bestow limited benefits on those who follow you. If another character is following or serving you, he is able to use some of your skills. Whenever you are involved a Group roll that involves a Skill you have at least 1 Rank in, you gain a +Xk0 bonus, where X is your Insight Rank. Additionally, you gain a bonus of +Xk0 to all Battle Skill rolls, where X is your Insight Rank. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Akodo samurai.

Utaku Saddle Cutter (Major, Minor for Shinjo) (Granted)You have inherited or been gifted with an Utaku saddle cutter, replacing the katana normally present in your Outfit. If you do not receive a katana in your Outfit, you cannot take this Advantage. The Utaku saddle cutter is a massive no-dachi, weighted at the tip to take advantage of a mounted samurai's height advantage. It is considered Fine Quality, granting a +1k0 bonus to attack rolls. Any attacks made from Higher Ground (such as being mounted) have an additional +0k1 bonus to attack and damage rolls. Additionally, the reputation of the weapon is so great you inflict a Fear effect equal to your Glory Rank against any foe you attack using it, but only for those within the Celestial Order. This is considered a Minor Advantage for Shinjo samurai.

Voice of the Crane (Major, Minor for Doji) (Inherent)The Kami Doji the Crane was legendary for her soothing tones and fierce wit. You have a gift for eloquence, and the authority of steel resonates in your voice. Whenever making rolls involving speaking, you gain a +1k1 bonus. These rolls must require speaking; simply shouting when you make an attack does not grant the bonus.

Wealthy (Minor) (Granted)You come from a family of some means. All of the items in your Outfit are Fine Quality, if they are not already, and you have twice as many of each item, excluding weapons and armor. Additionally, you gain 20 koku.

Well-Connected (Major, Minor for teishin) (Granted)You have built up a network of friends, associates, and connections across the Empire. Anytime you are in a well-populated area for at least a day, you may make an Awareness roll (TN 20) to locate a contact. On a successful roll, you locate someone of minor importance who is well-disposed towards you. Raises may be declared to increase the influence of the contact found, or to improve his disposition towards you.

Yogo Blessing (Minor, Yogo only) (Granted)You are one of the lucky few. Born a member of the Yogo family or uji, you were cursed as are all of its members. But the Fortunes smiled on you, and your betrayal came early in life and was relatively harmless. The Yogo historians have verified your betrayal, and you are now free if it. Your fellow clansmen trust you much more than most Yogo. Others still see a Yogo. Only Yogo uji or Yogo family samurai need take this Advantage.

Disadvantages

Apostate (Major, Gakusho only) (Granted)You have committed some indiscretion against the shinden that trained you as a monk, and were cast out. Those who are aware of your action treat you with scorn, and holy men who know your history

treat you with utter contempt. Essentially, you are the gakusho equivalent of a ronin, an apostate. Once again receiving the support of the Shinsei no Shinden will require great atonement on your part. Only gakusho may take this Disadvantage.

Ascetic (Minor, Major for Gakusho) (Granted)You aren't interested in material wealth, temporal power, glory, or gaudy fashion. You own only one kimono, one pair of sandals, and one obi. If you are a bushi, you have a daisho or single weapon. If you are a shugenja, you own a pouch full of scrolls. Maybe—maybe—you own a hat or bowl. These are the only material objects you will ever own. You are unconcerned with Glory, but Honor is still very important. You cannot take any Qualities that affect your material possessions. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for gakusho.

Bad Health (Major) (Inherent)You have never fully recovered from some illness, or simply had the bad fortune to be born sickly and frail. Your Wound Ranks are figured as if your Stamina were 1 Rank lower; you cannot take this Disadvantage if it gives you 0 Wounds per Rank.

Bad Reputation (Minor) (Granted)You've already earned yourself a bad reputation. Whenever other samurai see you, they add a die to their recognition roll, but begin with a bad impression of you, giving you a -1k0 to all social rolls involving others. You should choose a single word to define your reputation. Your Glory is Infamy until the bad reputation is resolved.

Bitter Betrothal (Minor) (Granted)You are betrothed. Unfortunately, the marriage is destined not to be a happy one. Perhaps your spouse-to-be is a member of an enemy family or uji. Maybe the fiancée is just an arrogant, obnoxious boor, or you're desperately in love with someone else. Whatever the case, your family has made plans for you to marry and expects you submit to their will. The wedding is planned a year from now, and you are not looking forward to it. What's worse, your intended isn't fond of the idea either. At best, you are doomed to a cold and bitter home, shackled by a political marriage. At worst, your intended is a spy and may be part of a larger plot to dishonor your family or uji.

Brash (Minor) (Trained)You are hot-headed. You seek to avenge any slight on your honor, and must make an Honor roll (TN 20) in order to keep control of your emotions when insulted. You cannot take any Quality intended to keep you calm or meek.

Can't Lie (Minor) (Trained)You just can't tell a good lie. Whenever you try, you fail automatically.

Compulsion (Minor) (Inherent)You have an overpowering urge (drinking, gambling, opium, love of geisha, etc.) that gets you into trouble and causes great shame. You must make an Honor roll (TN 20) every time you confront your compulsion to keep you from losing control and giving in to the compulsion.

Coward (Major) (Granted)You are secretly afraid, It might be that you lack confidence in your own abilities, or that you are sure that everyone is better than you are. Whatever the case, you have a -1k1 TN penalty to all rolls against anyone with a higher Glory Rank, or nonhuman creatures. Additionally, all Fear effects against you

automatically succeed unless you spend a Void Point.

Cruel (Minor, Major for Otomo) (Granted)Beyond being uncaring, you delight in the suffering of others. The cruelty need not be merely physical, but can manifest itself as glee in watching others dance on their strings. Your Awareness Rank is considered 1 less when interacting with anyone socially, and your Honor Rank is considered 1 less for all Honor rolls. A truly cruel person is expected to behave in a cruel manner, and if ever caught engaging in a cruel act may suffer greatly for their transgressions. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Otomo samurai.

Curse of Benten (Minor, Major for Hida) (Inherent)There is just something about you that others find repulsive. All of your rolls to be cordial, persuasive, or use Etiquette have a -2k0 penalty, but you gain a +1k0 bonus to all fear and intimidation rolls. You cannot choose any other Blessing or Curse Qualities, the Bland Advantage, or the Dangerous Beauty Advantage. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Hida samurai.

Curse of Bishamon (Minor, Major for Miya) (Inherent)Fighting has never been your forte. All of your attack rolls (except for spellcasting rolls) require 2 Raises in order to successfully hit. These Raises have no other effects. On the plus side, you gain a +1k0 bonus to all rolls to resolve a dispute without combat. You cannot take any other Blessing or Curse Qualities. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Miya samurai.

Curse of Daikoku (Minor, Major for Akodo or Matsu) (Inherent)Money is an unclean thing for samurai to consider, and those lower classes beholden to it are likewise unclean. You have a -2k0 penalty to all Commerce Skill rolls and all Social rolls with peasants or merchants. Members of the lower classes assume the worst about you even when you're trying to treat them with honesty and respect. You cannot take any other Blessing or Curse Quality, nor can you take any Quality that specifically effects your interactions with the lower classes. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Akodo or Matsu samurai.

Curse of Ebisu (Minor, Major for Agasha and Mirumoto) (Inherent)Reality is plain to see; why do so many samurai willingly ignore it? You have a -2k0 penalty to all Sincerity Skill rolls and all attempts to convince others of your honesty without powerful proof or corroborating testimony. You cannot take any other Blessing or Curse Quality, nor can you take any Qualities directly affecting your ability to lie. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Agasha and Mirumoto samurai.

Curse of Fukurokujin (Minor) (Inherent)Your mind is an unsettled territory, wild and undisciplined. You must Raise once on any Meditation or Lore Skill rolls for no effect, and raising all Meditation and Lore Skills costs two Season Actions instead of one (these can be both be taken in the same Season, however). You may not take any other Blessing Advantage or Curse Disadvantage.

Curse of Hotei (Minor) (Inherent)Nothing succeeds like a spectacular failure. Whenever you fail a roll and miss the original TN by 5 or less, you fail miserably and dramatically. Your sword flies out of your hand, a spell takes effect but chooses a different target, etc. The GM determines the outcome of the failure. You may not take the Luck Advantage, nor can you take any other Blessing Advantage or Curse Disadvantage.

Curse of Jurojin (Minor) (Inherent)The Fortunes have been unkind towards your constitution since birth. You have a -2k0 penalty to all rolls to resist poison or disease. If this would cause you to roll one less than one die, then the poison or disease is automatically effective. You can not take any Advantage that grants you a specific bonus to resisting poison or disease, nor can you take any other Blessing Advantage or Curse Disadvantage.

Deathseeker (Major, Uji Samurai only) (Granted)You are a member of the elite outcasts found in most uji: the Deathseekers. Your family has been dishonored, your name erased from the records of your uji. The only way to redeem your name is to give your life in combat against a superior foe. To achieve this, you must seek a situation where your death can benefit the uji, and you must die for the cause. Unless your family's name can be cleared, this is your only option. Remember, the ancestors do not look favorably on those who shirk their duty. As a Deathseeker, you begin the game with no Glory, nor may you ever gain any. You may not take any Quality that lowers or raises your Glory. Your only desire is to die gloriously.

Dependent (Minor) (Granted)You have someone who is completely dependent on you. Who they are is up to you, but they are completely helpless without you. Examples include small children or an aged parent, but a naïve spouse could also qualify. This dependent is considered a Yowamushi (TR 1); should they become important enough to merit a full suite of statistics (Rings, Traits, etc.), this Disadvantage vanishes. They may still require your aid from time to time, though.

Dishonored (Minor) (Inherent)There is a darkness within, a shame staining your honor. You begin with 1 less Honor Rank. You cannot take this Quality if it would lower your Honor Rank below 0.

Dishonored Sensei (Minor, Uji Samurai only) (Inherent)The wise teacher who taught you your Okuden was dishonored, then killed attempting to regain his honor. You sensei died without honor, and every one of his students is now sneered at by others, who are quick to claim that their dojo would never produce such a failure. You begin with 1 less Glory Rank. You cannot take this Quality if it would lower your Glory Rank below 0. Only uji samurai may take this Disadvantage.

Doubt (Minor, Uji Samurai only) (Granted)Choose one of your Discipline Skills. You have no confidence in it. Though you train and train, you still cannot excel. The knowledge is there, but so is the nagging doubt. Every time you use this Skill, you must make 2 Raises to succeed, for no other benefit. These 2 Raises still count towards your maximum Raises, however. Doubt can be conquered, but only when the Skill's Rank is at least 5, and you use it to defeat a superior opponent, save your life or another's, or, in the case of a craft, create a work of lasting beauty and profound skill (TN 45 at least). Only uji samurai may take this Disadvantage.

Elderly (Major) (Inherent)You are far past your prime, generally over 55 years of age, but individuals may vary. You must make 2 Raises to successfully make

Elderly & Old: Being aged in Disadvantages in Hachigoku doesn't quite mean the same as being aged in years. Legendary samurai might be old and graying, yet still at the peak of their strength and power. The aged gakusho with extraordinary martial arts prowess and physical ability is a common trope.

Then there are the elders whose experience and learning refined by time grants them incredible insight and knowledge at the cost of their bodies, while others have aged through grief over the decades. Such samurai are reflected by Elderly & Old.

any Strength or Agility rolls, including Skill rolls involving those Traits. You must make 1 Raise to successfully make any Stamina and Reflexes rolls, including Skill rolls involving those Traits. However, every High Skill you posses provides 2 additional Insight, and every Lore Skill provides 3 additional Insight (this is not cumulative). You cannot also have the Old Disadvantage.

Elemental Imbalance (Minor, Major for Isawa, Shugenja only) (Inherent)A ritual or spell went terribly wrong during your past, and has left a permanent elemental imbalance in your magic. You are strongly attuned to an Element, but in a way that the kami often overpower your will in the casting. Pick an Element (Air, Earth, Fire, Void, or Water) that you're capable of casting but do not have a Deficiency with. Whenever you cast a spell from this Element successfully, you must make a Willpower roll (TN 20). Failure means that the spell may fail utterly, choose another target, be weaker, or roar out of control; the GM may assign Bonus Effects to describe this equal to your Insight Rank. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Isawa samurai, and can only be taken by shugenja.

Falling Sickness (Major) (Inherent)You have this rare disease that causes seizures, resulting in rigidity of muscles, shaking symptoms, and even death. Whenever you are in a stressful situation, or subjected to bright, flashing lights (like fireworks), you must make a Willpower roll (TN 20) to resist a seizure. If you enter a seizure, you can make a Willpower roll each subsequent round at TN 20 to end it. This Disadvantage is all too common among the Kuge, due to their frequent inbreeding with the dynastic lines, but not unheard of. Those who take this Disadvantage should probably explain it with some connection to the Kuge.

Fascination (Minor) (Trained)You have a fascination with something (horses, origami, music, history, etc.) and will go to any length to learn new things about it. Any length.

Forsaken (Major) (Granted)Your ancestors will have nothing to do with you. You can never commune with ancestor spirits, who will pointedly ignore you (including creatures such as gaki), nor can you posses any Quality that deals with ancestor spirits. This forsaking includes being denied the +1 Trait bonus granted by your Discipline, as the accumulated spiritual power of the Discipline's legacy spurns you as well. Most other Hachigoku inhabitants assume you did something very wrong to anger your ancestors.

Frail Mind (Minor) (Inherent)Whenever you are the target of a magical spell, seduction, or any other task that would involve your Willpower, the opponent gets 2 Free Raises.

Gaijin Name (Minor, Major for Shinjo or Gakusho) (Inherent)You have a strange sound in your name, alien to the ears of most Rokugani. It may be an L or V, or a consonant combination like KS or TH. It is difficult for many of Hachigoku to pronounce, and causes others to be wary that you may be "in league" with the "foreign

Gaijin names taken by those in Hachigoku have real-world analogues, just as native Hachigoku names are analogous to Japanese.

Most Shinjo gaijin names are Chinese or Mongolian in nature. Most gaijin names among the northeastern portions of Hachigoku have Korean influences. Gakusho names often have Chinese or even Indian influences.

These are not limitations, however. Any number of variations are possible as gaijin influences have brushed against Hachigoku throughout its existence, largely ignored and unrecorded.

Keep true to the flavor of the setting, however. Being a wanker who insists his Gaijin Name is Bob just violates the spirit of what game you sat down to play in.

devils." You have a –1k0 on all Social rolls with Hachigokuans who are not Shinjo uji subjrcts. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for gakusho or Shinjo samurai.

Greedy (Minor, Major for Yasuki) (Granted)You are concerned with material wealth over honor and glory. Opponents gain +2k0 when attempting to bribe you with material goods.

Gullible (Major) (Granted)You believe almost anything anyone tells you if they are convincing enough. The TN to convince you of anything is 5.

Haunted (Major) (Inherent)You are haunted by the spirit of an ancestor who is not happy with you. He is distracting, insulting, and irritating, but he is also your ancestor, which means all you can do is try better. When the ancestor is particularly annoying, any roll you make requires 2 Raises for no effect.

Heimin (Major, Ronin only) (Inherent)You hide the greatest secret a ronin can: you are not a samurai at all. You are the child of two heimin, or perhaps your parents were even lower in the caste system. If discovered, you will be mercilessly and quickly executed. Also, your lack of knowledge about the samurai caste causes social problems. Improving High Skills costs two Season Actions instead of one (but can be spent in the same Season, however), and you have a -1k0 penalty to all social rolls involving samurai. Your beginning Glory Rank cannot be raised during character creation.

Home in Ashes (Minor) (Inherent)Your immediate family is dead, butchered by Shadowlands monsters, bandits, or enemy marauders. Besides having no kin to speak for you or call for aid, you have no holdings to attract a suitable spouse or garner any koku. You cannot take any Quality involving marriage, dependents, or wealth at character creation, nor can you purchase any Holdings that produce koku.

Idealistic (Minor, Major for Akodo or Shiba) (Granted)You believe strongly in the code of bushido, adhering to a much more stringent and conservative view of honor and glory than even most Lion samurai. Whenever you lose Honor Points, you lose an extra Honor Point. Whenever you gain 5 or more Honor Points at once, you gain an extra Honor Point. You tend to be quick to pass judgment, act as mentor, or look down on others, though you also tend to radiate a pious energy admired by others with high Honor. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Akodo or Shiba samurai.

Insensitive (Minor) (Granted) You care little for others and make no secret of that. You must spend a Void Point to risk your life for another, unless they contribute directly to your welfare, like your daimyo.

Lame (Minor) (Inherent)You have a crippled leg. All agility rolls have a +10 TN penalty, as well as any rolls that require leg strength, and your movement is figured as if your Water Ring is 1 Rank lower.

Lechery (Minor) (Inherent)Love is more important to you than it should be for a samurai. Anyone attempting to seduce you gains 2 Free Raises. Lechery is not necessarily a dishonorable trait, but a samurai that has priorities above his

daimyo is sure to shame himself eventually.

Lost Love (Minor) (Granted)You have loved and lost. You tend to have bouts of melancholy whenever your lost love is mentioned. Whenever your love is mentioned, all of your rolls have a +5 TN penalty until you spend a Void Point to bring yourself back to the present. Spending the Void Point prevents the penalty from affecting you for the rest of the scene.

Low Pain Threshold (Minor) (Inherent)Pain strikes you more intensively than most. All of your Wound Ranks have an additional -0k1 penalty when filled.

Missing Eye (Minor) (Inherent)You have only one eye, and therefore have a problem with depth perception. All visual Perception rolls have their TN's increased by +5. All ranged attacks at 50' or less have a TN penalty of +5, and +10 if more than 50'.

Missing Limb (Major) (Inherent)You are missing a hand, foot, or leg. All physical rolls normally involving the limb have their TN's increased by +10 or simply cannot be done at all.

Momuko (Major) (Inherent)Every samurai hero has the potential to achieve "greatness". They all have that extra "something" to tap into when the night is darkest and the situation dire. Not you. You must rely solely on your own skills and daring to succeed. For whatever the reason, you cannot use Void Points. You cannot take any Advantages or Disadvantages that affect your use of Void Points (though you can take those that affect the Void Ring itself), nor can you use any Techniques or other abilities that require you to spend Void Points to use.

Obtuse (Minor, Major for Hida) (Inherent)You just don't get it. Poems are a meaningless babble of nonsense. Paintings are just something to cover holes in walls. Music is a waste of time if you can't dance to it, and dancing is a waste of time unless you've drunk enough sake to drown out the music. Don't even start on that kabuki garbage. With the exception of Lore Skills, Investigation, & Medicine, increasing a High Skill costs two Season Actions instead of one (but can be spent in the same Season, however). In any social or courtly situation, you must make 2 Raises get the effects of a single Raise. On the other hand, being numb to the finer things is not always bad. In court, people tend to ignore you. They made fun of you at first, but eventually that stopped too when it just didn't get it. Others receive a +5 penalty to all TN's involving taunting, ridiculing, or manipulating you. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Hida samurai.

Old (Minor) (Inherent)You are no longer in your prime, generally between 40 and 55 years of age, but individuals may vary. You must make 1 Raise to successfully make Strength or Agility rolls, including Skill rolls involving those Traits. However, every High Skill you posses provides 1 additional Insight.

Overconfident (Minor) (Trained)You never retreat, never choose to fight another day. You are possessed of the youthful illusion of immortality. When faced with superior forces, you must make a Battle/Perception roll (TN 30); failure means you stay and fight.

Permanent Wound (Major) (Inherent)You have a wound that has never properly healed. This means you begin each day at the -1k0 Wound Level, with your first Wound Level already filled.

Phobia (Minor) (Inherent)You have an intense and irrational fear of something. Every time you encounter you phobia, all rolls you make have a +10 TN. The phobia must be approved by the GM, and includes but is not limited to: fire, heights, open spaces, enclosed spaces, insects, snakes, blood, dead things, darkness, etc. A fear of something you should be afraid of (like the Shadowlands) cannot be a phobia.

Poor (Minor) (Inherent)Your family has fallen on hard times, and could not properly provide for you at your gempukku. You begin play with one less Glory Rank (this cannot lower your Glory below 0) and all of your Outfit's items are Poor Quality (except for items gained through Advantages). You cannot take the Wealthy Advantage.

Ranshin (Minor, Major for Hida or Matsu) (Inherent)You have been traumatized beyond the point of nightmares by the carnage and horror of war, especially if you faced combat with Shadowlands creatures. Casual acquaintances might not be aware of your instability, but it is soon evident. Memories of war are everywhere: sudden movements look like attacks, a cough reminds you of Tainted victims, playing children sound like goblins. This is common among veterans of the Wall. Once per session, the GM can call on you to make a Willpower roll (TN 15). Failure leads to you fearfully lashing out, fainting, or having full-sensory flashbacks. However, these urges could also make you the kind of samurai who leaps into the mouth of the oni believing you can carve your way out. You are prone to having emotional outbursts, cackling laughter, and making snap decisions that cause a steady loss of face, making you an uncontrollable and undesirable fact of Rokugani life. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Hida or Matsu samurai.

Rumormonger (Minor) (Granted)You're a fantastic listener, and you make sure everybody know they can confide in you. You know how to keep secrets. Except for one thing. You can't. Oh, you mean well, but some tales are just too great, too interesting not to tell someone, anyone... The only thing better than being trusted is being known as a wealth of hidden knowledge. Any time you learn a closely guarded secret, you must make a Willpower roll to resist blurting it out to the next "trustworthy" friend you encounter. The TN is 5 x the Glory Rank of the "trustworthy" individual. If there are many such fortunate individuals, use the highest Glory Rank among them.

Scarred (Minor, Major for Hida) (Inherent)You have unhealed wounds suffered from encounters in the Shadowlands or from Shadowlands creatures. They were not infected with Taint, but are still disgusting, visible marks. Common scars whiten the skin , twist and blacken it, or turn green and oozing. You have a –1k0 penalty on all Social Skill rolls, and a –2k0 penalty on all Sincerity (Seduction) Skill rolls. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Hida samurai.

Shadowlands Taint (Major) (Inherent)Whether by birth or bad fortune, you begin with the curse of the Shadowlands Taint. You have 5 points of Shadowlands Taint; your superiors may or may not know about your condition, but if the fact is kept from them the consequences of discovery are dire. The GM may assign suitable symptoms.

Soft-Hearted (Minor, Major for Asahina or Miya) (Granted)You have a profound respect for human life. Your conscience overcomes you when you whenever you are about to kill or commit an act of cruelty. Whenever you try to take a human life, you must make a Willpower roll (TN 20) or you can't follow through with the action. If you kill someone, all of your TN's are at +10 for the next full day, and you must somehow attempt reparations. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Asahine or Miya samurai.

True Love (Minor) (Granted)True love in Rokugan can be a painful experience. Any who gain a true love find themselves torn between his heart and loyalty to his uji, family, and sensei. Whenever you must choose between love and duty, you must spend a Void Point to choose duty. Also, if you ever lose your true love's favor, you may spend no Void Points at all until you regain your lover's favor.

Unhygienic (Minor, Major for Ronin) (Trained)Simple matters of hygiene are trivial and unimportant to you. You bathe maybe once every few weeks or months. You stink and often appear filthy. You have a –1k0 penalty on all Social rolls with samurai and will likely be denied entrance to the courts of almost any clan, perhaps even the Hida and Shinjo. Also, the incessant itching caused by his lack of self-maintenance prevents you from benefiting from any Okuden or Quality that offers Free Raises on a Willpower roll. This is considered a Major Disadvantage for Ronin.

Unlucky (Minor) (Inherent)The GM may, once per session, command the reroll of any roll you make. The GM cannot make you reroll any roll you have just re-rolled with this Disadvantage or the Luck Advantage. You may take this Disadvantage multiple times.

Weakness (Major) (Inherent)You have some condition that hampers you. One of your Traits is reduced to 1 Rank, and cannot be raised by any means other than the supernatural.

Wrath of the Kami (Major) (Inherent)There is something about you that the spirits of Hachigoku do not like. Perhaps your soul was born unclean, or you have offended them in some way. For whatever reason, the kami go out of their way to help shugenja harm you. Whenever spells are cast to harm or hinder you directly, the caster gains a Free Raise.

The Wa

While the uji may be the dominant structure in a samurai's life, even more important than his own immediate or extended family, another unit plays a vital role in cementing the complex network of relationships and obligations composing the fabric of life in Hachigoku: the wa. A wa, using the Hachigoku term for “harmony,” is a group dedicated to aid and respect one another, usually centered around a shared goal that lies outside of their uji and family duties. Ideally, these are small, focused associations entered into voluntarily by samurai of diverse backgrounds, whose primary qualification is an appreciation and enjoyment of one another's company.

Particularly famous wa are the subjects of poetry, drama, and fiction throughout Hachigoku. The most admired example is largely considered the archetype: the Seven Thunders. A group of

samurai, brought together and sanctified by the holy Shinsei, who complimented one another's strengths with the noble goal of defeating the evil Fu Leng and saving the world.

Sometimes, though, a wa may be ordered to form by their superiors, either in hopes of forging alliances to accomplish specific tasks. Such wa are often rife with discord and prone to a bloody end, but fiercely effective if they can overcome their initial strife.

A wa is not just a loose collection of allies or comrades, however. Like everything in Hachigoku, a great deal of ritual and custom is involved. First, the wa members cannot cross social strata, so a samurai cannot join a wa with non-samurai, although gakusho are an exception as always. Ronin, of course, are samurai. Second, the wa must agree to an oath, a single sentence defining a higher goal as concrete or abstract as the wa feels appropriate, blessed by a gakusho or shugenja in good standing, and certified by a Miya shisha. Should this goal be achieved, the wa is officially dissolved. Third, wa members have responsibilities and natures enhanced by their oaths, corresponding to the Five Rings. Finally, members of a wa are expected to not only support and encourage one another by sharing adventures and resources, but also to chastise and punish members who bring shame to the wa.

While there are no strict rules on the wa membership numbers, it requires at least two (a single member cannot make an oath with himself). The general consensus is that five (a member for each Ring) or seven (evoking the Seven Thunders) are optimum numbers. Four is considered an inauspicious number associated with death, and more than seven unwieldy and unable to effectively remain in communication and cooperation. Wa are rarely composed of samurai who all belong to the same uji; doing so implies there is some potential disloyalty and strife that the members feel only the imposition of a wa can overcome. Those blessing and certifying such a wa would be very cautious and suspicious, and likely deny validation while making sure the attempt was common knowledge by Winter Court.

The wa is to be respected, not abused.Oh, and a wa should have an imposing, elegant, or even locational name. Like the Wa of Jade

Waterfall Village, the Thousand Hungry Lions Wa, or the Wa of Midnight's Vendetta. Maybe something about cherry blossoms, even. People should know what to call your wa when they regale other samurai with your victories and tragedies.

Wa RankA wa is not just a concept, but a game statistic. Like Rings, Traits, and Skills it has Ranks. The wa's beginning Wa Rank is equal to the highest Glory Rank among its members, and can never exceed the highest Gory Rank among its members. It acts as a measure of the bonds between its members and their collective Glory throughout Hachigoku.

Like Glory, Wa Ranks are not static; they go up and down throughout the game, although a Wa Rank cannot drop below zero.

Whenever a wa member gains Glory Ranks (not points), the Wa Rank gains the same amount of Ranks.

Whenever a wa member loses Glory Ranks (not points), the Wa Rank loses the same amount of Ranks.

Each wa member can spend a Season Action to increase the Wa Rank by +1; all members must individually spend a Season Action in concert.

If a wa member's Glory Rank is reduced to zero by some high crime or dishonor (being made ronin, exile, murder, maho, publicly touching dead flesh, etc.), the entire Wa Rank is reduced to zero.

Wa GiriIdeally, each member has a giri (“duty”), a broad role within the wa. There are five giri, each associated with a Ring, that provide benefits to the wa. Taking responsibility for a giri is not about giving that member an advantage; it's about giving his fellows the advantage. Traditionally, each giri is also

associated with a direction, color, and number. Wa members may attempt to weave elements of these into their clothing, naming, or otherwise use their lifestyle to reflect their giri's influence.

Each member must be assigned a unique giri. If the wa has less than five members, some giri simply go unfilled. If the wa has more than five members, the rest of the wa simply do not receive giri. They are no less valued members of the wa, but their significance may be considered reduced outside of the wa.

Air Giri: Those of the Air are preservers and enforcers of tradition, frequently serving as metsuke (“magistrates”), and even executioners. Such people are often viewed as cold, logical, just, and heartless. Their traditional associations are North, black, and the number 6.

By spending a Void Point, you allow a fellow wa member to add your Air to all their High Skill Ranks for the rest of the Scene.

Earth Giri: Those of the Earth are concerned with the lower castes, harvests, and markets, often acting as agents provocateur and tending to the harmony and health of the whole. Such people often are comfortable in villages and cities dealing with non-samurai—sometimes too much so. Their traditional associations are East, blue, and the number 8.

By spending a Void Point, you allow a fellow wa member to add your Earth to all their Merchant Skill Ranks for the rest of the Scene.

Fire Giri: Those of the Fire foment change and lead others into battle, acting as dynamic forces in the world. Ever changeable, never predictable, they often find themselves at odds with traditionalists when it comes to following their passions. They often find themselves as leaders, creators, and destroyers. Their traditional associations are the South, red, and the number 7.

By spending a Void Point, you allow a fellow wa member to add your Fire to all their Bugei Skill Ranks for the rest of the Scene.

Water Giri: Those of the Water investigate the mysteries shrouded in darkness and mysticism, interested not only in matters of spirit and magic, but likewise in areas opposed to traditional philosophies or ethics. While they often serve as mystics, endeavors such as spying and assassination are not below their purview. Their traditional associations are the West, white, and the number 9.

By spending a Void Point, you allow a fellow wa member to add your Water to all their Low Skill Ranks for the rest of the Scene.

Void Giri: Those of the Void strive to understand the balance between forces such as yin and yang, purity and Taint, and even flesh and soul. They seek to understand the interaction of such fundamental forces, their duty to uncover—or create—the enigmas of existence. They understand themselves by helping others explore these enigmas. Their traditional associations are the Center, yellow, and the number 5.

Unlike the other giri, you do not spend a Void Point to help them—they help you. Another wa member can freely allow you to spend their Void Points as if they were your own.

BenefitsBesides the nature of giri, being members of a wa provides additional benefits. Similar to the Kharmic Tie Advantage, whenever you spend a Void Point to aid or hinder a member of your wa you gain a +Xk0 bonus, where X is equal to the Wa Rank. This includes group rolls, attempts to protect or heal, or even attack and spellcasting rolls targeting them.

Furthermore, you keep one another's secrets. If you witness a member of your wa commit an act that would cause a Glory loss, you do not trigger the loss unless you reveal the act to someone outside

your wa.Megumi, the Fortune of Heroic Guidance, is proof that the Heavens favor the wa, for some

great destiny or accomplishment is set aside in the mortal world. And they want you to succeed. Each member of the wa, when they otherwise would have died from being completely filled up on the Dead Wound Level, is saved. You narrowly escape death, perhaps even miraculously, and have 1 remaining Wound left on the Dead Wound Level. This will not save you, however, if your death involves the entire destruction of your body (such as falling into a lava pit) or a kind of living death (such as a coma, or being Lost to the Taint). Samurai often call this seemingly miraculous escape from death Megumi's Boon.

You only gain Megumi's Boon once in your life, no matter how many wa you may belong to. Should anything kill you after that (falling from a horse, dying in a burning building, etc.), you leave to join your ancestors. Megumi gives second chances; he does not suffer fools enough to give third chances.

The wa must be worthy of success.

HoldingsOn of the most beneficial aspects of the wa lies in Holdings: You can access the Holdings of your wa compatriots. Holdings are sites that your uji, shinden, or otokodate has given you access to and responsibility for. It is important to distinguish between the Holdings you access and the general wealth and property of your faction, because Holdings do not reflect a complete measure of your faction's prosperity or influence. Instead they reflect only the properties you have been entrusted to serve or oversee. So while the uji, shinden, or even otokodate may have dozens of a particular kind of Holding in its domains, your Holding only represents a single site you frequent and are charged with protecting.

Each Holding is measured in Ranks. These do not necessarily reflect the true wealth and prestige of the Holding, but only the relative advantage you can gain from leveraging its abilities. When creating the wa, each member has a number of points for buying Holdings equal to their Glory Rank, and purchasing Holding Ranks costs a point per Rank. Some advanced Holdings may be even more expensive, as they represent vital interests requiring dedicated and proven defenders. These points are spent individually by the wa members, even though all wa members can take advantage of their benefits. Wa members can only combine their points if they share an uji, shinden, or otokodate affiliation. Thus, two members of the wa who both are members of the same uji, with Glory Ranks of 1 and 2 respectively, could pool their points for a Rank 3 Holding, or a Rank 2 Holding and Rank 1 Holding, or three Rank 1 Holdings. However, a Holding can never have higher Ranks than the Wa Rank.

Each Holding confers various benefits. Any member of the wa can access these benefits, but it must be a group decision. If a Holding gives free Season Actions, for instance, then the wa must divide these among themselves as they see fit.

Ashram: The ashram is a monastery where Shinsei no Shinden gakusho hone their spiritual and physical search for enlightenment. Although the vast majority fall under the jurisdiction of the Shinsei no Shinden, independent ashram and some supported by the uji can still be found across Hachigoku.

The ashram can provide shelter, but it is free only for gakusho and shugenja; all others must donate 1 koku for the Season. The ashram provides free Season Actions equal to its Rank that can only be used to purchase Void Ring Ranks or Kiho.

Blacksmith: The blacksmith transforms metal pulled from the earth into useful tools, strong armor, and deadly weapons. Access to the smithy's forge not only lets you acquire weapons and armor without having to bother your superior over trifling matters, but also allows you to privately arm allies, those under your command, or even give them as gifts.

As a Season Action, you can acquire any 1 weapon, 20 arrows of any type, or 1 suit of armor of any type. For 2 Season Actions, you can acquire any of these items as Fine Quality. You cannot acquire more items in a Season than the Holding's Rank.

Dojo: The dojo is a place for bushi to test their skills and train to improve their prowess. Other sites of training are occasionally referred to as dojo, but this Holding denotes only those that train bushi. This dojo is officially licensed by the Senryuu.

The dojo can provide shelter, but only for bushi. In addition, the dojo provides free Season Actions equal to its Rank that can only be used to purchase and increase Bugei Skill Ranks or Bushi Okuden.

Fortification: Fortifications can range from lonely outposts to domineering towers, and from bandit hideouts to the imposing walls of a toshi. You serve at such a site, guarding the peace of a region from attack or Trouble. Whether you have command of the fortification depends on your status, and not on the Holding's Rank.

The fortification can provide shelter. In addition, any rolls for Trouble at the start of a Season have a penalty to their total equal to the Holding's Rank. Finally, you can spend koku to hire Ronin Yowamushi at the beginning of a Season. It costs 1 koku per Yowamushi group (6 Yowamushi, TR 2), to a maximum of groups equal to the Holding's Rank. Additional koku can be spent to hire Ronin with higher TR's, representing experienced veterans or specific otokodate members. Each additional TR for a Yowamushi group costs 1 koku, and must be spent evenly between the total Ronin hired, nor can its TR be greater than the Holding's Rank. Thus, you could spend 12 koku to hire 4 Ronin Yowamushi groups (TR 4) with a Fortification Holding Rank 4. These Ronin Yowamushi leave at the end of the Season unless you spend more koku.

Gakuen: The gakuen is an academy for the cultural, diplomatic, and intellectual arts of Hachigoku. Such a school is devoted to producing teishin devoted to the welfare of the uji. This gakuen is officially licensed by the Roju.

The gakuen can provide shelter, but only for teishin. In addition, the gakuen provides free Season Actions equal to its Rank that can only be used to purchase High Skill Ranks or Teishin Okuden.

Gambling Den: The gambling den is a place where criminals, townsfolk, and samurai rub shoulders. It is often a convenient cover for both illegal and covert activity.

The gambling den can provide shelter, but it might cost you. When taking shelter for a Season, you must have at least one koku and roll 1d10, subtracting your Glory Rank from the total but adding the Holding Rank (yes, this die explodes). This is the amount of koku it costs for the season if the result is odd (if this exceeds your koku, you lose all koku), or the amount of koku you gain if the result is even. In addition, the gambling den provides free Season Actions equal to its Rank that can only be used to purchase Low Skill Ranks.

Geisha House: The geisha house is a place of art and beauty, where those with wealth relax in the “floating world” created by the grace and wit of Hachigoku's geisha. These women entertain their clients with song, dance, conversation, food, and much, much sake, relieving their patrons of social burdens and loosening their tongues.

The geisha house provides free Season Actions equal to its Holding Rank. These can only be spent to generate rumors. Each rumor is way of stating truths about the setting, and abide by the same rules as Raises do. Each truth thus cannot contain conjunctions or disjunctions (unless combing rumors), nor can it contradict established facts.

Inn: The inn is a ubiquitous site for travelers to rest, and a convenient place to stash inconvenient guests.

The inn can provide shelter, but only at a cost of 1 koku per Season. In addition, the inn provides free Season Actions equal to its Rank that can only be used to purchase Merchant Skills or Ronin Okuden.

Mine: Mines are worked to produce the minerals valued throughout Hachigoku, including iron, copper, silver, gold, and diamonds. These provide not only wealth in the form of koku, but also give your superiors a steady supply to materials needed for arms production without having to depend on the vagaries of trade.

The mine produces koku equal to its Rank per Season. If you have a Blacksmith Holding, this Holding's Rank are added to those Ranks for determining all effects.

Mura: The mura (“village”) is the center of a farming community, with rice paddies, wheat fields, and other agricultural facilities. The population is rarely more than a few hundred heimin and necessary hinin, but they are your charges to protect and order.

The mura can provide shelter. In addition, it produces koku equal to its Rank per Season. Also, it produces a number of Ashigaru Yowamushi groups (6 Yowamushi each, TR 1) equal to its Rank per Season and under your direct command; these ashigaru end their service and return to their fields at the end of the Season.

Opium Den: A foreign import smuggled into Hachigoku, opium is simultaneously a plague among the lower castes and a potentially hazardous recreation among samurai. Those who savor such narcotics gather in opium dens throughout the land, which range from high class affairs protected by bribed metsuke, or seedy hole-in-the-walls frequented by the desperate. Still, despite its dangers and reputation, opium dens can be incredibly profitable and useful places for intelligence gathering.

The opium den produces koku equal to twice its Rank per Season. In addition, you can spend a Season Action to acquire Blackmail (as described in the Blackmail Advantage) over a patron. You cannot have more Blackmail acquired this way at any one time than the Holding's Rank. Your control over those blackmailed is not as strong as those acquired as Qualities, and dissolve at the end of the Season unless you spend additional Season Actions. Finally, at the beginning of each Season you lose Honor Points equal to the Holding's Ranks.

Port: This can be either a port along the coast crowded with docks for deep sea ships, or river docks and landings frequented by barges, fisherman, and ferries. Such facilities are the outgrowth (or cause) of an urban center nearby. The port not only facilitates trade, but also houses shipwrights.

You cannot purchase a Port Holding unless you already posses a Toshi Holding, and its Rank cannot exceed the Rank of the Toshi. The port produces koku equal to its Rank per Season. In addition, the port can produce ships. You must spend Season Actions to order and oversee the ship's construction. How many Season Actions required depends on the type of ship. Sampans and barges cost 1 Season Action, kobune cost 2, and sengokobune cost 3. An additional Season Action can be spent to make the ship Fine Quality. You cannot spend more than a single Season Action on any one ship per Season, however, thus construction of a Fine Quality kobune requires a total of 3 Seasons, nor can you construct a ship requiring more Season Actions than the Holding's Rank, so constructing that Fine Quality kobune requires at least 3 Holding Ranks.

Sake Works: The sake works take rice and brew it into sake, Hachigoku's most common alcohol, rivaling tea as its most beloved beverage. Another name for it might be “liquid courage.” Access to the

sake works allows you to increase the morale of those under your command, and increase the reputation of places like geisha houses and gambling dens.

If you have a Geisha House or Gambling Den Holding, this Holding's Rank are added to those Ranks for determining all effects. This includes creating rumors, or Season Actions for improving Low Skills. Additionally, you can spend a Season Action to increase the TR of any Yowamushi under your control for the Season by +1 (this will not give them more Okuden, however, only increase their TR). You cannot give any particular Yowamushi Squad more than a single +1 TR bonus, and cannot target more Yowamushi groups than this Holding's Ranks.

Seido: The seido (“shrine”) is a sacred site devoted to a worthy ancestor or Fortune, a place where the spiritual energies of Hachigoku make contacting and comprehending the kami far easier. Seido are typically cared for by either shugenja or gakusho, and most lie under the jurisdiction of the Shinsei no Shinden. Thousands of major and minor seido cover Hachigoku, however, many under no control at all.

The seido can provide shelter, but only for shugenja or gakusho. In addition, the seido provides free Season Actions equal to its Rank that can only be used for purchasing Spells or for communing with the spirits. Each attempt to commune allows you to pose a single sentence question with a simple yes or no answer.

Then you provide the answer.

Shinden: The shinden is a temple complex devoted to both study and worship, a place where pilgrims, shugenja, and gakusho mingle freely. Large shinden often have adherents prepared to defend the building should it be attacked. Like ashram and seido, most shinden belong to the Shinsei no Shinden, but not all.

You cannot purchase a Shinden Holding unless you already possess either an Ashram or Seido, and its Rank cannot exceed the Rank of the Ashram or Seido (if you possess both, this limit only concerns that with the higher Rank). The shinden can provide shelter. Also, once per Season you can spend a Season Action to procure a gakusho or shugenja advisor with an Insight Rank equal to this Holding's Rank. This is a stock NPC of any shuha or gakusho the shinden can train. The advisor returns to his life at the shinden or abroad once the Season ends.

Shiro: The shiro (“castle”) is a testament to the prowess and authority of your daimyo. It's design and strength dominate whatever landscape it occupies, be it field, forest, or city. This is likely not a daimyo's seat power, but rather another shiro anchoring the defense and administration of the territory. Most uji control perhaps a dozen such shiro, while the largest and oldest uji control shiro by the score. The tiniest may control only one, and still other shiro may lie under the authority of otokodate or shinden, but this is a rare case. You serve at such a site, guarding the peace of a region from attack or Trouble. Whether you have command of the shiro depends on your status, and not on the Holding's Rank.

You cannot purchase a Shiro Holding unless you already possess a Dojo, and its Rank cannot exceed the Rank of the Dojo. The shiro can provide shelter. In addition, any rolls for Trouble at the start of a Season have a penalty to their total equal to the Holding's Rank. Finally, at the beginning of the Season you can spend a Season Action to requisition an Uji Samurai Yowamushi group to assist you in your duties; the total number of Yowamushi groups assisting you cannot exceed your Glory Rank. Each Yowamushi group possesses a Discipline, and its TR equals the Holding's Rank +1, with a corresponding number of Okuden. Alternatively, once per Season you can spend a Season Action to procure a gakusho, shugenja, or teishin advisor with an Insight Rank equal to this Holding's Rank. This is a stock NPC of any shinden, shuha, or gakuen the uji has access to (a Hida shiro, for instance, will not have access to Togashi ise zume). The Yowamushi or advisor returns to his life at the shiro or abroad once the Season ends.

Silk Works: Silk is the fabric of the samurai. A silk farm in your charge produces enough silk to clothe those of your uji and sell to less fortunate uji... and a little more. This silk works in particular is known for its beautiful, cloud-like productions resulting in artistic wonders. Not only is this useful for providing you access to additional kimono for yourself without bothering your daimyo with such a minor request, but you can likewise quickly provide kimono for allies, those under your charge, or even give them as gifts.

As a Season Action, you can acquire a new kimono from the silk works. These kimono are not only considered Fine Quality, but grant Free Raises equal to the Holding's Rank at the time of crafting. Each Free Raise can only be spent on Social Rolls, and can only be used once per Season. You cannot acquire more kimono in a Season than the Holding's Ranks.

Stables: The stables provide steeds for your people, employing grooms who breed and train horses. Not only is this useful for providing you access to a steed for yourself without bothering your daimyo with such a minor request, but you can likewise quickly provide mounts for allies, those under your command, or even give them as gifts.

As a Season Action, you can acquire a horse. By spending 2 Season Actions, you can acquire a Fine Quality horse. You cannot acquire more horses in a Season than the Holding's Rank.

Tea House: The tea house is a place of gathering, eating, and drinking. In some cases, the tea house may also represent a place where the tea ceremony is practiced and honored as a form of meditation, or house a garden of great beauty.

Whenever you are within the tea house, you gain Free Raises to all High Skill rolls equal to the Holding's Rank. Also, you can spend a Season Action to acquire an Ally (as described in the Ally Advantage). You cannot have more Allies acquired this way at any one time than the Holding's Rank. Your ties to these Allies are not as strong as those acquired as Qualities, and dissolve at the end of the Season unless you spend additional Season Actions.

Toshi: The toshi (“city”) is a larger population center than a mura, ranging anywhere from a thousand to hundreds of thousands of citizens (although only the greatest of Hachigoku's toshi can boast such numbers). It often is supported by numerous client mura clustered nearby, convenient trade routes, bustling commerce, and perhaps stout defenses. You serve in some official capacity in the toshi's bureaucracy, dealing with matters legal and municipal, whether as a metsuke or Warden of the Aromatic Sewers. A low Rank could indicate a lowly position, or even a high position that requires little attention and produces little benefit, and a high Rank reflects a rewarding and demanding post.

The toshi costs twice as much as a normal Holding to purchase or improve, and can provide shelter. In addition, it produces koku equal to twice its Rank per Season. Finally, while in the toshi you have the service of a number of Doshin Yowamushi groups (6 Yowamushi each, TR 2) equal to the Holding's Rank at your disposal.

Joining & Leaving a WaTime changes, and so do alliances, priorities, and friendships. A wa can admit new members, as long as they agree to be bound by the original oath, and again receive blessing and certification by having the entire wa present themselves before a priest and shisha. Admission of a new, untried wa comrade is risky, and lowers the Wa Rank by -1. The burden on the new member is to prove worthy of the trust his fellow samurai place in them. New members bring access to new Holdings with them, too. If they do not already possess benefits from Holdings, they gain points to purchase Holdings according to their Glory Ranks, just as if building a new wa.

Wa membership can overlap. That is to say, you can belong to more than one wa. You could

have joined a wa in your youth, a group with lasting friendship that still continues, and much later join a new wa, perhaps a band of heroes bound together in a quest. A wa is not a jealous creature demanding your entire attention, but neither can you spread yourself too thin with obligations; no daimyo wants his samurai divided into too many parts. Thus, you cannot join more wa than your Void Ring. It's important to note that wa are an uncommon phenomenon, and undertaken with due serious consideration. Vast swathes of samurai do not form wa, and wa among non-samurai is even rarer.

Still, you're not playing the game and striving to be average, are you?Leaving a wa is much more difficult. The bonds between wa members almost are living

creatures that can be both fed and starved, but never denied. Even those who die are still members of a wa. Those Holdings they held alone and their claim on a giri vanish, but their Glory Ranks (death may have risen or dropped the Ranks, or even information discovered long after their death may impact it) still affect the wa. A member who is exiled, made ronin, lost to the Shadowlands, or otherwise beyond the scope of play is still a member as well. Hachigoku drama is consumed with stories of samurai who commit seppuku when their cause seems hopeless, if for no other reason than to spare their wa the shame of one man's defeat, and stories of wa who foresee death yet throw themselves into a forlorn hope so that the glory of their wa is a fixed record of heroism.

This leaves only three ways to fully leave the wa: Seppuku: If the wa member has done something truly shameful and allowed to commit seppuku,

their shame is discharged and any ill effects brought on the wa are erased. They are released from the oath in honorable death, but the wa also abandons them for their betrayal.

Fulfillment: If the wa fulfills the requirements of its oath, one that was definite and accomplishable, the wa is dissolved at the end of the Season. They can slowly feel a subtle shift in their fortunes as their lives readjust to void the wa once occupied. Every wa member likewise gains a Glory Rank for accomplishing their goals.

Renouncing: All surviving members of the wa can publicly renounce the wa, certifying its dissolution in the same fashion through a priest and shisha. Every wa member loses an Honor and Glory Rank for abandoning the wa.

Season Actions

As you pass from one Season to another, life changes. The inevitable river of history washes over your character, carrying you with the current as the tides of the years rise and ebb. Season changing into another Season until the original Season returns, with everything different and changed at once. The eternal cycle of the Tao.

Every Season can be divided into five steps: Shelter, Trouble, Season Actions, Stories, and Resolution.

ShelterEveryone needs a place to live, some shelter from the slings and arrows of duty and obligation. At the beginning of each Season you must scramble for a place to hang your daisho, be it a barracks, a home, a room at the inn, or some other hideaway where you can spend downtime during the Season. Several Holdings provide shelter, some for free, some on condition of your profession, and some for koku. If you cannot find shelter, it could be because of poverty (often in the case of ronin) or because your duties were so overwhelming you simply could not take a moment's rest throughout those months, always busy with a task or traveling.

Space in a Holding is limited. A single Holding cannot provide shelter for more members of your wa than its Holding Rank. It's not that the Holding is necessarily small, but simply that you do not

hold enough sway or prestige to rate permanent housing or provide enough hospitality. There are certainly plenty of other samurai, gakusho, and heimen living their lives and performing their duties there; you're just either too busy or unnoticed to take full advantage.

Nor does lack of shelter imply that you've been sleeping out in the rain and starving all season. Your daimyo, shinden, or occasional employment has provided for you basic needs: food, clothing, and, yes, shelter. It's just not been enough to be mechanically beneficial for you, for having shelter is crucial to having the opportunity and resources to learn and train. If you have no shelter, you cannot use any Season Actions to increase or purchase Traits, Rings, Skills, Emphases, Okuden, Kiho, or Spells. You do still have Season Actions and spend them normally; only those specific for those purposes.

If you are married, your spouse uses the same Shelter as you. If you want. You can assign a different Shelter for your spouse instead, especially if you need provide Shelter for a Liason and yourself instead.

TroubleHoldings are boons. They are also responsibilities. Every Holding is prone to Trouble. Peasants are revolting. Strife between students or sensei at a dojo flare up. The castle is under siege. Bandits rob merchants. Shadowlands monsters overrun the village. A Bloodspeaker cult infiltrates the shinden. Murder. Tsunami. Earthquake.

Trouble. Trouble is determined individually for each Holding. At the beginning of each Season, roll 1 die

for a Holding, adding the Holding's Rank to the total of each roll. If the roll exceeds the Trouble TN, the Holding is in Trouble. The Trouble TN varies by Season:

• Spring: 9• Summer: 7• Autumn: 8• Winter: 6

This is done for every Holding. Holdings in Trouble have their resources taxed to the limit; there's none left over for you, thus you cannot leverage a Holding for any benefits. It grants no items, no free Season Actions, nothing. If you were using the Holding for shelter, this remains unaffected. However, you cannot use a Holding in Trouble for shelter at the beginning of a Season.

If a Holding is still in Trouble at the end of the Season, the Holding loses 1 Holding Rank. If this reduces it to 0, the Holding is destroyed. Every time a Holding you're responsible for loses a Rank, you lose a Glory Rank. If multiple characters from the same uji, shinden, or otokodate are invested in a Holding (they pooled their points during the wa's creation to buy Holding Ranks), they all share the Glory loss.

Normally it takes a Season Action to quell Trouble, but you could call on your wa to aid you in a time of need, turning the incident of Trouble into an opportunity for a Story. Yes, for the GM that means Trouble is built-in Challenges, very useful if you're at a loss what to do for the session. You're welcome. Entire Seasons could be filled with Stories of the wa eliminating Trouble, if that's the path you want to take. Whether the Trouble is quelled properly at the end of the Story depends entirely on the actions of the players.

Season ActionsOnce you've determined shelter and Trouble, you are free to assign

Leveraging Example: Hida Jo has a Blacksmith Rank 3. He could spend one Season Action to leverage it for a katana. Akira, his fellow wa member, can spend 2 Season Actions to leverage it for a Fine Quality yari. The Holding cannot be leveraged with Season Actions anymore this Season.

Season Actions. Season Actions reflect a variety of activities you spread out over the Season, goals you work on achieving when you're not occupied by a Story or tending to your routine duties. Each Season you gain a certain number of Season Actions equal to the Ring Rank associated with the Season: Water for Spring, Fire for Summer, Earth for Autumn, and Air for Winter. In addition, certain Holdings or other abilities may give you free Season Actions to achieve some specific goals. If a Holding gives free Season Actions, they can be split between all the members for their intended purpose. Any use of a Holding, including claiming the free Season Actions, is called leveraging the Holding, and any member of the wa can leverage any other member's Holding. However, a Holding cannot be leveraged with more Season Actions than it has Ranks in any one Season.

Once you spend each Season Action, its benefits do not occur immediately. The effects of the Season Action are delayed until the end of the Season, when they are all Resolved.

You can spend a Season Action on: Trouble: Target a Holding in Trouble. All its Trouble is eliminated. This can be done to any

Holdings in your wa. Holdings: Raise a Holding's Rank by 1, once per Season per Holding, or even purchase a new

Holding at Rank 1. This is still considered leveraging, thus Trouble prevents doing so. You can also leverage a Holding for its special ability.

Wa: As mentioned in the Wa rules, each member of the wa can contribute a Season Action to increase the Wa Rank by 1. All members must contribute, or there is no effect.

Skills: Increase a Skill by 1 Rank, or purchase a new Emphasis in a Skill you already know. You cannot increase any single Skill by more than 1 Rank per Season. Also, certain Skills allow the use of Season Actions to perform feats requiring significant time to accomplish, usually artistic pursuits, crafts, and trades. While the Season Action is spent now, any actual rolls are not made until the end of the Season.

Traits: Increasing Traits is no simple matter, and takes a significant investment time and dedication. Raising your Trait Rank requires a number of Season Actions equal to the new Rank. This is a cumulative purchase, as no more than a single Season Action can be spent per Trait per Season. Thus, raising a Trait from Rank 2 to 3 requires at least 3 Seasons, as 1 Season Action is spent each Season. These need not be consecutive Seasons, however, and other Traits could have additional Season Actions spent on them simultaneously.

Void Ring: Like Traits, increasing your Void Ring takes significant time and dedication. Raising your Void Ring Rank requires a number of Season Actions equal to twice its new Rank. However, while these Season Actions can be spent over the course of several non-consecutive Seasons, they are not limited to 1 per Season; you can spend multiple Season Actions to raise your Void in a single Season.

Change Faction: It costs 1 Season Action to join a new uji, shinden, or otokodate. If you join a new faction, you must have its Meibutsu already. Leaving an old faction behind likely means a whole lot of enemies, hurt comrades, and a damn good Story.

Ronin Okuden: If you have enough Insight Ranks, you can learn a new Ronin Okuden. Ronin Okuden not taught by an otokodate require 2 Season Actions: hunting down a ronin who already knows the Okuden, convincing the ronin to teach you, and training. If you have the Sensei Advantage or are a member of an otokodate that teaches it, it only costs you 1 Season Action. You must already meet any Trait, Ring, or Skill requirements necessary before spending Season Actions. You cannot spend more Season Actions to learn more than 1 Ronin Okuden or Discipline Okuden per Season.

Discipline Okuden: If you have enough Insight Ranks, you can learn a new Discipline Okuden. Learning the Okuden costs a number of Season Actions equal to its Rank. This is a cumulative purchase, as no more than a single Season Action can be spent per Season. These need not be

consecutive Seasons, however you cannot spend Season Actions on a different Discipline or Ronin Okuden while dedicated to learning this one; if you do, you forfeit all Season Actions spent thus far. If it is an Advanced Discipline, you must meet all its requirements before spending a Season Action. If the Okuden is taught by a Discipline Path, you spend 1 Season Action if you meet the Path of Entry or 2 Season Actions if not.

Spells: You can use the Spellcraft Skill to learn or create new spells. You must meet the Mastery Level requirements of the spell to learn or create, and spend a Season Action. As with all Skills, making the Spellcraft Skill roll doesn't happen until the end of the Season.

Kiho: As long as you meet its Mastery Level requirements, you can learn new Kiho. If you are a Gakusho, this costs 1 Season Action. If you are a Shugenja, you can spend 2 Season Actions. Any one else must spend 3 Season Actions and have at least Theology (Shintao) 5.

StoryThis is where the magic happens. You and your wa go tell your Stories, usually 1-3 per Season. Have fun; I'll be here when you get back.

ChildrenIf you have had intercourse with anyone of the opposite sex during a Story or during the Season (a spouse, a lover, or otherwise), there is a chance of pregnancy. Roll for Trouble appropriate to the Season for each coupling between different people. If there's Trouble, the child will be born in three Seasons.

ResolutionWelcome back. It's the end of the Season, and all your plans come to fruition. Holdings provide their benefits or are rescued from Trouble (or harmed by it). Your training or research continues or concludes, and any new Skill Ranks, Emphases, Trait Ranks, Void Ring Ranks, Okuden, Spells, or Kiho are added to your character sheet.

Time for the next Season.

How many children? Can we end the pregnancy? What about contraception?

I'm not going to answer those questions or make rules. You're adult enough to play this game; you can figure out your own answers.