L5R - Optional Rules: Ancestors

[Rain Yupa]

I've looked at the rules for Ancestors in the back of Masters of War, and am willing to include them for any players who wish to include them with their character. How they work is as follows, and I AM going to include a GM stipulation.

The initial advantage costs 0 character points. It gets you a Rank 1 ancestor, which includes a Profession and a Drive, each one offering mechanical benefits to your character. However, you must make a certain amount of time in your schedule for devotion. For Rank 1 ancestors, you must visit a temple once per week, and spend as little as a few minutes praying for your ancestor. The amount of time/frequency increases as the ancestor goes up in rank.

To have a Rank 2 ancestor, you must pay 4 XP points, and you basically get 2 different benefits, or the same benefit twice, depending on your ancestor. To get Rank 3, you must pay 8 MORE XP points. Rank 4 (the highest you'll be allowed) costs 12 MORE XP points after the rest.

If you ever go 3 frequency sessions without paying the proper devotion/respect to your ancestor, its Rank drops to 0, and you must spend a number of weeks equal to twice their original Rank, AND pay additional XP points to bring it back up to Rank 1 (4), then Rank 2 (4 more), Rank 3 (8 more), Rank 4 (12 more). So, if you cannot be bothered with the time constraints, don't bother.

I will warn you when 2 time periods elapse without the devotion given, IF I remember. If I do realize 3 time periods have elapsed, the penalty will come into effect as soon as I realize it. Honesty on your part if you realize it first might give you half a day to resolve the devotion-at-critical-mass situation.

The stipulation is as follows: There are 17 different Professions and 12 different drives. You can either use the random number generator twice for each and take your pick, OR you can pick one from one category, and I get to pick the one from the other one.

The benefits of this will come into effect at the start of Act II.

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List of professions
Administrator
Artisan
Courtier
Daimyo
Duelist
Magistrate
Monk
Ninja
Officer
Outcast
Priest
Scholar
Sensei
Soldier
Spy
Tactician
Yojimbo

List of drives
Ambition
Duty
Compassion
Courage
Courtesy
Honor
Judgment
Justice
Passion
Sacrifice
Sincerity
Vengeance

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Ancestor Families
Crab: 1d5
1.) Hida
2.) Hiruma
3.) Kaiu
4.) Kuni
5.) Yasuki

Crane: 1d5
1.) Asahina
2.) Daidoji
3.) Doji
4.) Kakita
5.) Yasuki

Dragon: 1d4
1.) Agasha
2.) Kitsuki
3.) Mirumoto
4.) Togashi

Lion: 1d4
1.) Akodo
2.) Ikoma
3.) Kitsu
4.) Matsu

Mantis: 1d3
1.) Moshi
2.) Tsuruchi
3.) Yoritomo

Phoenix: 1d4
1.) Agasha
2.) Asako
3.) Isawa
4.) Shiba

Scorpion: 1d4
1.) Bayushi
2.) Shosuro
3.) Soshi
4.) Yogo

Unicorn: 1d7
1.) Horiuchi
2.) Ide
3.) Iuchi
4.) Kitsune
5.) Moto
6.) Shinjo
7.) Otaku

Minor Clan: 1d1
1.) Same as your clan, silly-head!

Gender: 1d2
1.) Female
2.) Male

Name and description will be up to you!

If you decide without rolling, then choose either the family, or the gender/name. I will choose the other.  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Question: seeing as we're going to be traveling quite a bit in Act II, Will we be able to visit a shrine every week or so? I mean, will we be traveling so much we won't see a village or town with a shrine for more than a week?  

[Rain Yupa]

"Circumstances legitimately beyond your control can prevent you from making the proper expression of devotion. The ancestors understand this. A samurai stationed deep int he wilderness who has no access to a temple will retain his benefits so logn as he offers the appropriate number of prayers. But a samurai who chooses not to complete the requirements has his Ancestor Advantage reduced to Rank 0 if he misses 3 consecutive increments."

So, my interpretation is, if you have access to a temple or shrine, you must pray to your ancestor there. If there is no shrine, you must still make the prayer attempts. If you're in the middle of the shadowlands, desperately dodging oni for the sake of your survival to deliver critical information to the Emperor, make the prayers when you get back to safety.

Basically, do what you must with the options you are given.  

[Plainsfox]

I guess I'm the first volunteer, pending the point I pay off the Forsaken advantage on Kojiro. How do you want this done, Rain? Do I roll in here or do you roll for me or?  

[Rain Yupa]

You roll here if you don't want to choose directly.

Either random number generator 1-17 twice and 1-12 twice, so throw out a bunch of d20s and ignore every result that's too high, going in order from left to right.  

[Plainsfox]

Occupation:
Rolling 6d20s and counting the first two eligible dice.
Results:
3
14  

[Plainsfox]

Drive:
Rolling 2d12
Results:
7
8  

[Rain Yupa]

Profession: Courtier or Soldier
Drive: Judgment or Justice  

[Rain Yupa]

For more fun, roll a d4 to determine the family and gender!

1.) Bayushi
2.) Shosuro
3.) Soshi
4.) Yogo

1-2.) Female
3-4.) Male  

[Plainsfox]

Roll roll!


Soldier/Justice

Yogo Sanjuro, an Emerald Legionnaire who has decided to break the silent treatment Kojiro's been receiving because Kojiro accepted the Jade Warden position.  

[Rain Yupa]

So you guys can get a better idea, here are the bonuses Kojiro will be receiving:

Soldier - Your ancestor was a soldier in his lord's armies. When you spend a Void Point to gain a +1k1 bonus to any Bugei Skill Roll, you gain an additional +3 bonus to the total.
Justice - The law drove your ancestor, who never stopped hunting those who defied the Emperor. You may add your Insight Rank to the total of any roll made against an opponent who has broken the law; this must be corroborated by legitimate testimony or evidence, not merely suspicion.

When (and if) he gets his Ancestor up to Rank 2, then he can increase either of those benefits. So he can get +6 to the void roll, or double the insight rank bonus to rolls. Rank 3, he can add the benefit again, or get one of each (+6 AND double insight, vs +9 OR triple insight).  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

I'll bite. This seems fun after all.  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Wat.  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Wot.  

[Keith Valken Lionheart]

Aye.