OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! L5R!!
The best game I ever played was an L5R 4th Edition! Love the system. Love the setting! Love the Glory/Honor/Infamy/Status system!
How do you feel about Brotherhood of Shinsei monks?
Love the enthusiasm. Monks are going to be in a bad spot, but if you want to run one go for it. If I get a ton of monks I will be prioritizing non-monks, probably only have 1 total.The campaign I am crafting is going to focus more on the blurring lines between peasant and samurai as food becomes more and more scarce and societal norms begin to break down.
This is a great generator I found: https://sourceforge.net/projects/l5rcm/
It only comes with the core books, but if you look through the site it has patches for just about every book that comes out later.
Am I to assume Spider Clan and Spider Monks are a no-no, since they don't let ronin live to tell about them?
FYI guys, there's a lot more Ronin material in Enemies of the Empire, and a few other books too. None of their stuff as as good as clan Samurai, but it's still better than just using the xp on stats...most of the time. Shujenja get it pretty easy - most of their clan abilities are front loaded. Guys like dragon clan dual-wielders are mostly f!#+ed because their good stuff is mid-level and tail-ended. (Though dual wielding without penalty is still nice.)
Since nobody actually chose a Shinsei monk, I think I might like that route. It'll take me a minute to figure out what kind, so I don't default to a Osano-Wo bare-knuckle boxer. I mean a monk already blurs the lines, anyway, since many are retired samurai, and many are just commoners adopted by the order. They're respected BY samurai, but clearly lower than them in the totem pole.
The nice part is not having to go to a school, as after their first class rank they're mostly self taught, just kind of picking up kiho as they go on. (Mechanically they're usually a bit weaker than your bog-standard samurai, especially when you consider how bad f+$~ing ass tattooed dragon samurai-monk are in comparison to the basic shinsei folk)
I'd love to play.
Is there a deadline to submit a character?
Spider clan are about 500 years in the future, we are playing during the great famine. I had set a two weeks from the creation of this thread deadline, but it has basically been extended till a good number of people finish and submit characters. Feel free to look over and throw a character in for the running.
And Huston is first through the gate with a hiruma bush. Just for ease of reference, I would still like you to fill out the 20 questions when you get a chance.
After more carefully reading the post, I think I'll pull out of the running. An all ronin game isn't really my speed.
Have fun!
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Sorry to see you go Robogeisha, if I decide to run another l5r game in the coming months I will keep you in mind.
Done with mechanics and the 20 questions. The more or less full background is a bit difficult (I always struggle with it), but I'll try to get it done by the weekend, if the 20 questions won't be enough.
1,2. Clan/Family - Ronin
3. Role - Shugenja
4. Appearance - Souma is a tall man with long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. He has a burn on the left side of his neck from a spell incident.
5. Motivation - Finding other potential shugenja and helping them understand their gift.
6. Most trusted person - Takakazu Yamura is one of the sensei in Kanosei Furudera Dojo. He is also the one who found Souma and brought him to the Order for shugenja's training.
7. Strength and weakness - His concern for common people is his strength and weakness at the same time.
8. Bushido - The most important tenet is Compassion. The least important is Courtesy.
9. Clan - Being a ronin doesn't justify things many clanless samurai do. Those criminals are a disgrace.
10. Married - He is not married.
11. Prejudices - Souma dislikes Great Clans. They are prideful, arrogant and caught up too much in their feuds and court intrigues.
12. Loyalty - While Souma doesn't serve anyone, he is loyal to his Order and his sensei.
13. Most and least favourite things - Souma enjoys playing shamisen - he remembers his mother playing it for him. He dislikes shogi - because he never once won in it, and rain - drying clothes is a pain.
14. Mannersims - He rubs his index finger and thumb when thinking and weighing options. Before praying to kami for assistance, Souma always closes his eyes and lowers his head for a few moments.
15. Emotions - Souma is generally a calm person, but unnecessary violence angers him quickly and he has hard time hiding it. Boredom he can hide easliy enough - long hours studying at the dojo and listening to sensei was a great training.
16. Subordinate - Being born a ronin, he never thought about that, but Souma tends to forgive people if nothing seriuous happened.
17. Parents - Souma was brought to the Order in the young age and didn't knew his parents well. He knows one of them was a shugenja, other than that it's just bits and pieces.
18. Ambition - He wants to become one of the greatest clanless shugenja, so that the Great Clans recognize that one don't need to be born into a Clan to achieve anything.
19. Religion - Souma is, of course, religious. He will offer a prayer to any shrine he come across, and will visit a temple if an opportunity presents itself.
20. Death - He will die protecting or helping his friends.
Inoue Souma
Clan/Family: Ronin
Role: Shugenja
School: Ronin Order Shugenja (Kanosei Furudera Order)
School Rank: 1
Exp/spent: 50/50
Inisight: 124 [Rank 1]
Glory: 0.0
Status: 0.0
Honor: 5.0
Rings:
2 Air: 2 Reflexes / 3 Awareness
2 Earth: 2 Stamina / 3 Willpower
2 Fire: 2 Agility / 2 Intelligence
3 Water: 3 Strength / 3 Perception
2 Void
Skills:
1 Athletics [Bugei, Str]
1 Craft (Cooking) [Merchant, ?]
1 Craft (Fishing) [Merchant, ?]
1 Etiquette [High, Awa]
1 Medicine [High, Int]
1 Perform (Samisen) [High, Agi]
1 Sincerity [High, Awa]
1 Calligraphy (Cipher) [High, Int]
1 Divination [High, Int]
1 Lore: Theology [High, Int]
1 Lore: Shugenja [High, Int]
1 Meditation [High, Void]
1 Spellcraft [High, Int]
1 Staves [Bugei, Agi]
Advantages:
Absolute Direction [Mental] 1 pt.
Elemental Blessing (Water) [Spiritual] 4 pt.
Friendly Kami (Air) [Spiritual] 5 pt.
Sage [Mental] 3 pt.
Disadvantages:
Social Disadvantage (Ronin) [Social] 3 pt.
Unlucky (2 ranks) [Spiritual] 4 pt.
School Technique:
The Path of Discipline – one Free Raise on all Sense, Commune, and Summon spells for all elements except Void and Earth.
Affinity: Air spells.
Deficiency: Earth spells.
Spells:
Sense [All 1] - memorized
Commune [All 1] - memorized
Summon [All 1] - memorized
Legacy of Kaze-no-Kami [Air 1]
Nature's Touch [Air 1]
Tempest of Air [Air 1]
Path to Inner Peace [Water 1]
Speed of the Waterfall [Water 1]
Extinguish [Fire 1]
Outfit: sturdy robes, wakizashi, bo, traveling pack, scroll satchel, 5 bu
Traveling Pack: blanket, cooking pot, divination kit (yarrow sticks), fishing pole, flint and tinder, samisen, small knife, spare kimono and sandals, week's rations, wide-brimmed straw hat
Exp costs:
Advantages - 13 pt.
Disadvantages - 7 pt.
Willpower 2->3 - 12 pt.
Strength 2->3 - 11 pt.
Perception 2->3 - 11 pt.
Skills - 7 pt.
Memorized spells - 3 pt.
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Ryuk
Ryuk, Self-Taught Warrior-Priest
Air 2, Reflexes 3 Earth 2, Willpower 3, Fire 3, Water 2, Void 2
Initiative 3k3
Honor 4.0
Glory 1.0
Status 0.0
School/Rank: Self-Taught Shugenja 1 (Fire)
Skills: Athletics* 1, Commerce 1, Defense* 3, Hunting* 1, Jiujitsu* 1, Kenjutsu* 3, Meditation* 2, Spellcraft* 2 (*School Skills)
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, Biting Steel*, Envious Flames*, Fury of Osano Wo*, Katana of Fire*, The Fires from Within* (*Innate Spells)
Advantages: Precise Memory
Disadvantages: Bad Fortune (Evil Eye), Dark Secret (Kolat), Social Disadvantage (Ronin)
Nothing motivates a man to shake up the social order than being born at the bottom of the heap without any hope of advancement. Such is the lot of Ryuk, the evil-eyed ronin who is the darling of the fire kami. He pledged allegiance to a group that he thinks will help him rise to the top – The Kolat. And they have yet to call on him to do their bidding. For the moment, he is allowed to float through the river of life. (This is the reason why he doesn't have the Forbidden Lore (Kolat) advantage)
XP spent: 60 from (40 +10 +10) minus (36 traits, 6 for making fire spells innate, 3 advantage, 15 for skills)
Presenting Takishiro of the Temple of Osano-Wo (I couldn't help myself - I love the O-Wos!) (to be given an alias and sheet if I'm in):
1. What Clan does your character belong to?
None - he is a monk, and not an actual samurai. He is a member of the Temple of Osano-Wo.
2. What family does your character belong to?
He was abandoned at the doorstep of his temple. They are the only family he has known.
3. Is your character a bushi, a shujenja, or a courtier?
A monk . He's probably closest to a bushi of the three.
4. How would others describe your character's appearance?
Rugged, lean, and strong, with corded muscles, but not an overtly bulky appearance. He's carved a few scars into his body to remember lessons he's learned over the coarse of time, both mental and spiritual, but he has the look of a man who's survived quite a few brawls - just barely. His skin is dark from much work in the sun, and his head and face are clean shaven every morning, if he has the tools to do so.
5. What is your character's primary motivation?
Believe it or not, to help the less fortunate. Takishiro is the kind of man who instead of begging like some monks when entering a village, he will look for work that needs to be done, and ask little or no reward. Fortunately the people usually recognize his contribution and offer him a cheap meal and a mat to sleep on when traveling through town, as respect due a monk
6. Who is the person your character trusts most in the world?
A fellow monk at the monastery named Shinjo, a retired Phoenix bushi who settled down to a life of battle. He is much like a father to Takishiro, even though they share no blood.
7. What is your character's greatest strength and weakness?
Strength - Tenacity. He does not give up if there is hope present.
Weakness - Pride. Takishiro does not like to be shown up in something be believes he excels.
8. What does your character think of Bushido?
He believes it is the path to enlightenment, and has a sour opinion of clans like the Scorpion that ignore so many of it's tenants. He believes strongly in compassion and courage, and while he believes in duty, he is conflicted, as so many use duty as an excuse to ignore the other tenants (like the Scorpion)
9. What is your character's opinion of his clan?
He does not believe the brothers of Osano-Wo do enough to help the people of the Empire. He believes they are so focused on training, they forget what they are training for.
10. Is your character married?
No. Monks are not strictly forbidden from marriage, but it is not arranged as it is among the samurai, so it simply has not come up for him.
11. Does your character have any prejudices?
He is not a fan of the Scorpion clan, and has mixed feelings about the Crane. He greatly admires the Crab as true defenders of the Empire.
12. To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
In his mind, to the Empire itself, which he feels is made up of the people.
13. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things?
After a visit by a Unicorn dignitary to his monastery, he grew a taste for red meat, much to the chagrin of his compatriots. He is not at all a fan of sake, feeling it a poison to the soul, and the temple of the body.
14. Does your character have any reoccurring mannerisms?
When his hands have nothing to do, he sometimes cracks his knuckles. He doesn't prefer to speak, unless spoken to; however, he has caused great alarm by speaking out of turn when something seems outrageous to him.
15. What about your character's emotions?
Anger, usually in the form of indignation at the treatment of others, is difficult for Takishiro to hold under total control. Most of the time he is able to check this by leaving the area and practicing his martial arts on the nearest sturdy object, usually leaving dents, cracks, and even shattered blocks in abandoned buildings or trees, but sometimes, it just isn't enough.
16. How would your character handle a subordinate's improper behavior?
Most likely by trying to quote the Tao to explain why they were wrong, but, when that doesn't work, like his master before him, a few smacks with bamboo om the back tends to learn a lesson for even the most stubborn of students.
17. How would your character's parents (in this case, I guess the heads of the order) describe him?
Brash, headstrong, but compassionate, and a natural talent. If he would only think more before acting, he could obtain so much more...
18. What is your character's highest ambition?
He wants to start his own sect of Shinsei, devoted to protection of the people.
19. How religious is your character?
He meditates at least once a day, if not more. It's a way for him to center, and calm the demons of rage that can overcome him when he sees what he feels an injustice.
20. How will your character die?
Saving the life of someone truly meaningful, so that his sacrifice is not in vain.
Devotion: Fortunist
Honor: 4.5 | Glory: 1 (gain at 1/4 rate) | Status: 0
Skills:
Battle: 4k3 (1 rank)
Jiujitsu: 6k3 attack (3 ranks), 4k3 damage
Lore - Theology (Fortunes): 4k3 (1 rank, specialization in Fortunes)
Meditation: 4k3 (1 rank)
Athletics: 4k3 (1 rank)
Defense: 3k2 (1 rank)
Kiho: Air Fist (+5 initiative when unarmed), The Body is an Anvil (touch my skin, take fire ring damage - even if unarmed attacked or grappled), Ride the Water (recover water ring in reaction stage)
School Technique: Hand of Thunder - +0K1 to Unarmed; always cumulative
Gear: Bo, Coarse and Plain Traveling Clothes, Scroll Satchel with passages from the Tao, 2 Zeni
Advantages: Daredevil (add 3k1 instead of 1k1 when using void for athletics), Hero of the People (-10 to be recognized by peasant class for good things), Hands of Stone (+0k1 unarmed damage)
EDIT - Fire and Water have both attributes at 3, the other two are at 2 - Void is at 3.
[b]Initiative - 3k2 (+5 if unarmed), Armor TN 15,
Wound Track - 10/14/18/22/26/30/34/38
I think I got everything there!
husstonj, Takishiro could easily get along with your character and probably his cousin. He really respects the Crab clan, what with them guarding the border with the Shadowlands and all. As an Osano-Wo monk, he greatly respects strength, and on a personal level, is sort of a "protector of the people", so he's more in line with the Crab, Unicorn (or he would if they were back by now), and to a lesser extent, Lion, than the more sly clans, like Scorpion, Crane, and to a lesser extent, Mantis.
I suppose I should type a bit more story out for Takishiro than the 20 questions.
Takihiro, or Taki as he allows friends to call him, is a pleasant soul, and a gifted warrior, having grown up in one of the Temples of Osano-Wo. All his life he was taught the way of the warrior, in dedication to those who came before and fought Fu-Lung, saving the Empire from the great darkness. It is because of this teaching that even though he is not a member, the people of the Crab clan hold a special place in his heart, for he sees them as kindred spirits - guardians of the people and the land of Rokugan itself.
Unfortunately, the isolationism of his temple grew frustrating for Taki, especially after learning of tales of protectionism and guardianship from an older monk, a retired samurai named Shinjo. Shinjo often told Takishiro that it was the job of the samurai to protect those below him, and the job of the commoners to obey - this was the celestial order, for the samurai had power, and the commoners did not. But as a monk, didn't Taki have power? Wouldn't he, too, have the responsibility to protect the people, even if they never had the reciprocating obedience that a samurai was due? After more than a few heated arguments with the abbot of his temple, he decided to leave the monastery and strike out on his own, simply looking to travel, to do good, in any form he could.
Taki simply travels where the winds take him, following the sound of thunder when the clouds are above, feeling the Fortune of Thunder for whom his temple was named guiding him. When he arrives in a town he simply looks for work that needs doing - helping to build pens for animals, sweeping unattended shrines, or offering his services to the local magistrate in tracking down criminals. No task, in his mind, is beneath him...but his ire is quickly struck when he sees people in positions of authority abusing said power for no more reason than cruelty. So far he has mentioned to keep out of trouble by venting his anger on inanimate objects, but he has left more than his share of marks on the walls outside of a palace after seeing a magistrate acquire a young man's wife for "intense interrogation." It's this frustration that builds up in him, and he's not exactly sure how long he can obey the celestial rule he was taught before snapping in reaction - for after all, if those in power are not following the rules of the enlightenment, perhaps they are imposters, and not those truly appointed by the divine?
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So, stop me if you have heard this one before. A sushi, a monk, and two shugenja walk in to a tea house... I don't remember how the rest of the joke goes, but I'm pretty sure an oni and a tengu are involved.
Taki could not have been introduced to red meat by the Unicorn, as they aren't in the empire at this point in history. Yep, the Ki-Rin have left but the Unicorn have not returned.
Curious that you remembered that at the bottom of the post where you listed their influence upon Taki. <grin>
If that's the worst mistake made, we're in REALLY good shape. Honest.
I bet I make that same mistake later, too.
It was listed in two places and corrected in one. I had him respecting the Crab and Unicorn for the same reason, (militaristic, don't give a crap about politics) before pulling back earlier.
Okay, let's say it was introduced to him by some peasant hunters living on the fringes of civilization, who were eating...I dunno, deer? Out of desperation.
Yeah, I know. My old crew used to play right after the third dynasty began and the Spider were made a legit clan (albeit one banished to the Shadowlands, edges of the empire, and basically anywhere that the "real" members of Rokugan were not congregating).
My last character was a Scorpion ninja who was secretly a Spider sleeper agent, who went through an elaborate double-cross to take out the Empress's cousin, leaving one less person to compete with Daigatsu II for his rightful spot on the throne as the last living member of the Hentai dysnasty.
And I was NOT the most back-stabby of the group. This was all GM encouraged.
We called it "Vaguely Asian Game of Thrones"
You should've seen what happened to the poor, honorable Crane duelist. Poor bastard...
It's kinda why I made a "good guy" sort of character this time around. Get away from that kind of behavior, and be a real team player.
Funny, I call game of thrones "mostly European legend of the five rings." You have a nation of fractured kingdoms, a wall keeping out a great evil, all the houses have plants or animals as their mascots. Happens when you both pull from feudal periods.
I'm going to give it till Saturday 11:59pm for everyone to finish what they are working on.
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1,2. Clan/Family - Ronin
3. Role - Shugenja
4. Appearance - Ryuk shaved his head like the people of the Dragon Lands to better accentuate his desire for physical well-being, though of course he is not from there. He tries to keep his emotion out of his countenance to better hide his plans.
5. Motivation - While he desires to learn more about his gift, he is more interested in changing the social order of the Empire which he has found to be decadent.
6. Most trusted person - Ryuk trusts only the Kolat, the organization that has promised change and power to those who deserve it.
7. Strength and weakness -
8. Bushido - While Ryuk values courage and the other tenets of Bushido, he does not honestly view that code to be of any merit.
9. Clan - Being a ronin doesn't justify things many clanless samurai do. Those criminals are a disgrace.
10. Married - No one has offered their daughter to Ryuk, a penniless ronin.
11. Prejudices - Ryuk despises samurai who have no apparent abilities, seeing them as nothing more than sycophants.
12. Loyalty - Ryuk is loyal to the Kolat.
13. Most and least favourite things - Ryuk loves being the smart one and playing tricks on samurai is best. Conversely, he despises idiots.
14. Mannersims - Ryuk grits his teeth when he hears stupid ideas espoused by samurai.
15. Emotions - Ryuk is confident and often displays it in his manner of speech.
16. Subordinate -
17. Parents - Mama and Papa died trying to scrape a living from the poor earth. Ryuk doesn't to meet the same fate and left the farm to his siblings.
18. Ambition - Ryuk wants to overthrow the Empire and replace it with a new social order.
19. Religion - Ryuk respects the kami but doesn't feel the need to venerate the social order.
20. Death - He will die in pursuit of his dream.
Well...we better damnwell hope we don't end up in a highly political or social game, what with not a single courtier submitted thus far.
Oh well. There's always challenging someone to a duel if they're winning the social game. Gotta love that. Hope one of you bushi has a high Iajitsu score.
"What do you mean the sky is blue? I say it is teal. Do you dare insult my honor by contradicting my words, and calling me a liar?! TO BLADES I SAY!"
Hey guys I’m still up for this, just super busy. Should have something up Monday.
Dodekatheon, take what time you need, I will open the first post on Sunday and just slot people in as they get done. I will be looking over each current submission tonight and give any feedback I have.
Inouse's background.
Inoue Souma was born twenty three years ago. He didn't spend much time with his parents - at the age of 6 he displayed affinity with kami. His parents were not shugenja, so they had to decide what to do. Luckily, Takakazu Yamura - a shugenja from the expanding Order of Kanosei Furudera - was passing through the settlement.
The following years were hard. Not physically, but mentally - studying the kami etiquette, learning correct words and prayers is not an easy task. Inoue's gempukku was held a year later than usual - when he was fifteen. After that he joined his sensei - Takakazu Yamura, the same person that took him into the Order - in his traveling. Offering help when needed and searching for other gifted children.
The last couple of years, however, Inoue traveled without Yamura-sensei - the man's health lately was not the same as before.
Meant to give feedback, but it seems everyone did a good job on the characters so far. Everyone should get a profile made for their character and I will be attaching the first game post to this thread within the hour. Dodekateon, feel free to submit your character when you get done and I will slot you in a few seconds late to the party. :)
Profile complete, I think.
What would you like to do about Senno?
I have a character sheet created for her as a Hiruma Scout, as I discussed earlier.
I can send that out somehow for Havocprince to use, I can post the meat of it for Havocprince to use, or I can create a profile for her, but that last could get complicated, I think.
Well...we better damnwell hope we don't end up in a highly political or social game, what with not a single courtier submitted thus far.We're Ronin. We lose a political or social game as soon as anyone with Status gets involved. Guy with the right social position declares you guilty of murder, and you are, remember? Testimony is the only evidence that matters.
And dueling. As samurai you always have the right to challenge someone to a duel for insulting your honor, even if it's in a basic disagreement - and ronin are technically still samurai.
Fair enough.
...maybe I should've submitted a scorpion or crane ninja instead, for those times when honor just won't get the job done. You may not be able to challenge that daimyo to a duel, but if you hang upside down from the roof and use a rope to drip poison into his lips while he's sleeping, that gets the job done just as well...
No. I always play villains. Gonna play a hero this time, damnit! For once...
Hikonaga, please pm me what you have for Senno, I have some plans for her. Also, the campaign is up so feel free to post.
Cool - everyone who wanted got in! That's always nice when that happens.
Had it happen once as a GM. The group REALLY gelled well, because everyone wanted in so much even though the recruitment pool was small. Great synergy.
headed to the ic thread shortly :-)
Right, we have suffered a slow down and a few missing characters. This is a post trying to replenish the samurai spirit of the campaign.
Still using the build rules posted at the beginning. Party has a mystery to solve and a shared odd experience that will drag them farther into a web of intrigue and the will of the kami. Can any rise to aid these heroes?
Bump the search for samurai.
Dope. I love L5R and unfortunately my only game on the forums petered out due to missing GM. I'll whip up a character. Do you want me to post it here first or just skip on over to the other threads?
come on over to discussion good buddy.
Still looking for people? I LOVE L5R!
The more the merrier. Come on over to discussion and build yourself a ronin.
It’ll take me a few days to review the current characters and settle on something. Likely tomorrow night, if that’s ok.
Sounds good, I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Are you still searching for additional samurai/ronin?
Come join us Hawksw0rd, the more the merrier.