Rainy Days are here again - Another L5R 4e Campaign?

[Raganui Minamoto]

Dojo of Lies?  

[Plainsfox]

In a similar vein, I've got a Tamori trained shugenja I've worked up that I'm happy with, but I want to know if Rain will allow a Soshi or Yogo shugenja.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Well, yea, if Rain allows it (though need to find a way to train when higher school levels), then I'll Tsuruchi.

Also, do Craft skills that 'count as high skills' such as Bowyer, Weaponsmith, ect, count as such for schools that say 'any high skill'  

[Plainsfox]

If you make a public display of artistry prior to a duel (vs TN 15), you gain 1 free raise to your Void/Iaijutsu (Focus) roll. Every 2 raises on the artisan skill gives you one additional free raise on the focus roll.

Btw, I like this for school technique.  

[Rain Yupa]

Raganui Minamoto

Well, yea, if Rain allows it (though need to find a way to train when higher school levels), then I'll Tsuruchi.

Also, do Craft skills that 'count as high skills' such as Bowyer, Weaponsmith, ect, count as such for schools that say 'any high skill'

I would allow you to play a Tsuruchi, because as with any courtier or bushi (or artisan, to be fair) school, you can be trained with the basics by a parent who had the same school. But realize that the Mantis is not on good terms with your Minor Clan (thanks to Plainsfox! biggrin ), and if you had a Tsuruchi Archer parent who joined the minor clan, they effectively deserted the Mantis because they would have never been given permission to leave by their lord.

Making you the son or daughter of a traitor. You would have to go to great lengths to have a chance of advancement with that school, probably including but not limited to hiding your identity and covering up your familial relations while explaining how you already know the basics of their school.

Alternatively, the son or daughter of a spy, but that will give you not only negative relations with the Mantis who, for 98% of their number don't know the nature of this espionage, but also potentially your own Minor Clan and fellow players as well.

But yes, you can start the game with Tsuruchi Archer training! :3

Scorpion, Dragon, Phoenix, and Crab might give you safer options. Heck, Spider too! The Spider would friggin' adore the opportunity to help you guys out if you just asked! They'd train you, no questions asked! biggrin  

[Rain Yupa]

Also, loving how a lot of all this implies that while the Kraken Clan is trying to cement its foundation while still on shaky legs, which includes the beginning of training of their champion's techniques to the next generation (you guys), your parents are basically going, "NOPE! I don't want my kid learning your stinky technique! I'll train them in MY technique, thank you very much! Nyaaah! razz "

Paidi's character growing up probably going "But Mo-o-o-om! I wanna learn a different technique like all the other kids! You never let me have what I want! I hate you!"  

[Plainsfox]

The problem is, we're all going to wind up as duelists if we do that. We'd end up tripping over each other taking offense at things.  

[Rain Yupa]

Himura Family: +1 Willpower

HIMURA BUSHI SCHOOL v0.1

• Benefit: +1 Awareness
  
• Skills: Etiquette, Iaijutsu, Investigation, Kenjutsu (Katana), Any one High or Bugei Skill, Any one Merchant Skill, Any one Artisan Skill.
  
• Honor: 4.5
  
• Outfit: Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, any 1 weapon, Traveling Pack, 3 koku.

TECHNIQUES
RANK ONE: UNQUIET OCEAN
A Himura is quick to action when honor and duty demands it. You add your Honor to all initiative rolls. In addition, when in an iaijutsu duel, the number of raises you can make is limited by your Void Ring or your highest Artisan skill rank, whichever is higher.

RANK TWO: TERROR OF THE SEAS
The Himura can prove their valor before a duel as well as after. Before an iaijutsu duel, you may attempt a TN 15 Awareness/Artisan roll in a public setting. Success grants you a Free Raise to your next Void/Iaijutsu (Focus) roll that day. For every 2 raises successfully called on your Artisan roll, increase the number of Free Raises earned by 1.

RANK THREE: APEX HUNTER
Owing to their Kitsuki heritage, a Himura is a good judge of character. Add your Investigation skill rank to all Awareness/Iaijutsu (Assessment) rolls. In addition, add the difference of your Honor Rank and your target's Honor Rank to all damage rolls, if yours is higher.

RANK FOUR: FROM THE DEPTHS
The Himura strike only when necessary, but do so with unwavering confidence. You may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action while using weapons with the Samurai keyword.

RANK FIVE: RELEASE THE KRAKEN
When confronting a Himura, an opponent is easily overwhelmed. While in an iaijutsu duel, add your Etiquette skill rank to your Reflexes/Iaijutsu to strike your opponent. In normal combat, if your attack roll exceeds an opponent's Armor TN by 5 or more, you may spend a Void Point to gain a number of Free Raises equal to the number of intervals of 5 in which you exceeded the TN, which may immediately be used for Maneuvers as if you had called Raises normally before your attack was rolled.  

[Rain Yupa]

Plainsfox

The problem is, we're all going to wind up as duelists if we do that. We'd end up tripping over each other taking offense at things.

So two characters from the same school have to do the same identical things all the time? If so, I've played a Hida Twin in the past completely wrong.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Nah, there's differences, but unfortunately, we're not talking Great Clan choices. Also, yea, while I would like to play an archer (thus Tsuruchi cause they're the only ones), dealing with the Mantis is going to be too much of a pain in the a** to actually pull it off. I think, instead, I'll roll a Himura Smith.

Also, if anyone else is rolling Himura, I'd like to speak with you about character ideas.  

[Rain Yupa]

Raganui Minamoto

Nah, there's differences, but unfortunately, we're not talking Great Clan choices. Also, yea, while I would like to play an archer (thus Tsuruchi cause they're the only ones), dealing with the Mantis is going to be too much of a pain in the a** to actually pull it off. I think, instead, I'll roll a Himura Smith.

Also, if anyone else is rolling Himura, I'd like to speak with you about character ideas.

Fun fact: Archers tend to have high Reflexes, and Duelists tend to have high Reflexes. There's a lot of focus of Air in the school, so you can still do the archery shtick if you wanted. Ranks 1, 3, and 5 has things which can help Archery. I left an open Bugei slot in case anyone wanted to take Kyujutsu :3  

[Plainsfox]

Right right. >< skills, not techniques.

I'm gonna be a Himura Magistrate type. Someone who wields a Kusarigama and has a reason to wield it.  

[Raganui Minamoto]

Right, right... still, it's a thing of 'why play an archer if you're not a tsuruchi' though, it may have just been assholes at that point. You do have to agree though, that the Tsuruchi school is focused on 'you see this arrow? It's going right into your eye now' and all. All of their techniques are bow focused with 'can make an ok melee guy but you'd never play it as one'.

Anyways, Artisan skill... is there one for, like, engraving? So that a smith could make fancy designs on his armor and weapons, or proper lacquering without ruining the weapon.  

[Paidi tou Selini]

Rain Yupa

Paidi's character growing up probably going "But Mo-o-o-om! I wanna learn a different technique like all the other kids! You never let me have what I want! I hate you!"

xd I was not expecting to laugh that hard.


Woo~ time to build charries!  

[Rain Yupa]

Raganui Minamoto

Right, right... still, it's a thing of 'why play an archer if you're not a tsuruchi' though, it may have just been assholes at that point. You do have to agree though, that the Tsuruchi school is focused on 'you see this arrow? It's going right into your eye now' and all. All of their techniques are bow focused with 'can make an ok melee guy but you'd never play it as one'.

Anyways, Artisan skill... is there one for, like, engraving? So that a smith could make fancy designs on his armor and weapons, or proper lacquering without ruining the weapon.

I agree that Tsuruchi are good for that, yes. But I disagree that you have to be a Tsuruchi if you're going to be an archer. Tsuruchi if you want to absolutely minmax your archery potential, definitely. But I wholeheartedly disagree that Tsuruchi are the only archers. A lot of bushi schools have techniques that can make archery cooler. Courtiers tend to be high air so they seem to make good archers by design (and don't have to carry swords so don't have to be dueled). Then there's Air shugenja! An Utaku Battle Maiden with a Dai-Kyu can even make two attacks a round with archery while mounted (the Dai-Kyu is designed for horseback archer).

The difference between most of those and Tsuruchi though, is that typically they can better fall back on a secondary attack style, while Tsuruchi tend to focus on archery to the exclusion of all else. They don't HAVE to (as you said, if they want an 'okay' melee guy), but it's extremely rare. Probably because someone stole his bow. Or he's drunk.

Anywho, engraving would be more of a raise with an Intelligence/Craft roll, rather than Artisan. Basically, anything done with Artisan is nontangable, or simply artistic with no other intrinsic value. You can't really do anything with a bonsai tree, or origami tiger, or painting besides look at it.

Engraved weapons can still put a guy's intestinal track all over the floor. Not artisan. smile

I might settle for Artisan for display pieces, but they will be things that are completely aesthetic and probably fold like cardboard when actually wielded or donned. That'd actually be kind of a neat use for Artisan!