Hiruma Scout and Hida Elite Guard

Would i allow a signifigantly destinguished PC or NPC to be accepted? yes i would. Would i change the requirements as writen? No. There is a matter of school and family pride. Having said that many of the hard requirements on kata tend to boggle my mind as not only does it seem really wierd to differtiate your bushi schools on so many kata, i can understand one or two, but it shows a lack of foresite as new bushi schools are defacto inelligable.

Is this a 'how do the rules work' or 'how do you roll as a GM' question?

I put it in the Lobby, so a how do you roll type question.

Of course a Hiruma Scout could join the Hida Elite Guard. He just has to pay for the Multiple School Advantage to get in.

I prefer the Path of Entry as prerequisite interpretation. This is not the official interpretation, but in my games the Hiruma Scout would not be elligible for the Hida Elite Guard (even if he did pay for Multiple Schools). I personally believe that if you can use Multiple Schools to enter a school for which you do not meet the Path of Entry, then you should also be able to use Multiple Schools to enter other Schools at some point past the first rank - and I think we can all see why that would get very messy very fast.

Agreed. I think Multipe schools should apply only to the non-advanced schools. You wanna be a Hida Avenger or Kenchinzen? Pay your dues...

Yeah, to a point. But then Berserkers can't be the elite guard of the HIda family? Sillyness... Thanks for the advice though.

Agreed. I think Multipe schools should apply only to the non-advanced schools. You wanna be a Hida Avenger or Kenchinzen? Pay your dues... Although, oddly enough, none of these come with Paths of Entry, just requirements (that usually don't specify school), so you would actually have to invent a list of what schools qualify as 'paying one's dues' Yeah, to a point. But then Berserkers can't be the elite guard of the HIda family? Sillyness... Thanks for the advice though. Do you want someone who can't control himself in combat in the Elite Guard?

ARGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH ITS NOT THAT KIND OF BERSERKERS! Ok for the record, Rokugani berserkers are not the DnD berserkers, in fact they are just the opposite. Hida Berserkers are the hannibal lector of the crab set, they literrally kill people without getting upset, destiling everything they do through the code of bushido until they no longer have a concern for their own bodies, only for their effectiveness against the enemy. THey are in my opinion the epitome of control. I believe most of not all of the elite paths should be meritocracy. That and the additional issues I have with things like the fact that supposedly if you wish/need to take a path late you are supposedly disbarred just makes no sense to me.

Actually its the hiruma beserkers that are the 'dead-eyes' hannibal lector sociopaths. The Hida beserkers are renowned for frothing at the mouth and hitting things (just check the still valid writeup from the 1st ed book). Once it comes to actual combat they focus that rage (As you say), but pre-combat they are all over the shop! they are the epitome of control in a roundabout way, they deliberately meditate to get worked up, then force themselves to channel that emotion. l5R has two brands of beserker.

They are one in the same in my mind, I have the first ed book. Different authors taking slightly different spins on things, one of which was trying to appeal to DnD players. Obviously i have the brand I prefer.

Yeah, when I play them they don't get all frothy and jumping around punching their chests, etc. They just have zero concern for anything other than destroying their enemy.

The 1st ed descriptions even list Amoro (See: d20 Frenzied Berserker) as a dangerous abberation from the Berserker path's normal output.

Ok for the record, Rokugani berserkers are not the DnD berserkers, in fact they are just the opposite. Hida Berserkers are the hannibal lector of the crab set, they literrally kill people without getting upset, destiling everything they do through the code of bushido until they no longer have a concern for their own bodies, only for their effectiveness against the enemy. THey are in my opinion the epitome of control. Okay, let me put that another way. You are part of the elite guard responsible for the safety of prominant individuals (or locations) within your clan. Without warning, your charge comes under attack by a wave of black pajama'd individuals who the Scorpion Clan is more than willing to disavow. No one else being present, you step in to defend your charge. After about 30 seconds, the regular guard arrives, and your charge (or commanding officer) wishes to relocate to a more defensable/agressive location. Do you: A) Keep fighting your initial foe, even though there is now someone else to engage him, derelecting your duty in the process. B) Disengage from your foe to protect your charge, losing access to all Berserker Techs in the process. C) Hold that because the Enraged state is nowhere clearly defined, you can remain enraged while running away from the enemy, so that when your rage finally dissipates you can safely say that you did not leave your state of rage while in the presence of a foe. (well !#@$#@, I've been at this for four or five minutes now, best withdraw for a couple of seconds so that I can get myself worked up again). I believe most of not all of the elite paths should be meritocracy. That and the additional issues I have with things like the fact that supposedly if you wish/need to take a path late you are supposedly disbarred just makes no sense to me. Membership in the Elite Guard does not necessarily mean that you've studied the Elite Guard path (and visa-versa). If the lord in question actually thinks that your skills would be neccessary or complementary to the Organization of the Hida Elite Guard, then you're in. This doesn't mean that the specialized training offered to the Elite Guard meshes with the training that you have already recieved.

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