The Collected Rulings (and Wisecracks) of Rich Wulf

Looking at the Deeper Reflection kiho on page 201, I'm a little confused How long does the extra void points last if not spent? The duration says 120 minutes, the effect says until the end of the day. The special requires a Meditation check. Are we supposed to assume that's a Void/Meditiation check? I'm guessing the base TN is 20 (with 2 raises for a total of 30) but that's really just a guess... Oh, and how long does the Meditation check take? Is it part of the preparations time? Beautiful. Simply beautiful. :D I go with what I like to call an old-school school of thought on these things. To me, it looks as if you have 120 minutes after preparing this kata in order to make the Meditation roll, since that is the special condition necessary to complete it. I'm also inclined to believe that yes, it is a Void/Meditation roll, simply because every other Meditation roll in the book is Void/Meditation. However, I've been wrong before. ;) I like it when someone else has the right answer before I get there. Saves me a lot of typing.

That was pretty good. Yeah, Combat Reflexes should probably not work if you don't know the other person is there. :D

Please excuse me if this has already been covered. I note on page 225, the rules for Elemental Affinity/Deficiency shows that the a shugenja's "Mastery Level is considered one higher when casting or learning spells that pertain to your Affinity. Your Mastery Level is considered one lower when casting or learning spells that pertain to your Deficiency." Nowhere else do the rules mention a shugenja's Mastery Level, only the Master Level of a spell. In previous editions the shugenja's School Rank was one higher or lower, which affects not only the spells you can learn and cast, but the dice rolled when casting spells pertaining to those Elements. Is this merely an error of nomenclature, or is it a change from previous editions? I would think that it is the former, and that a shugenja's School Rank is considered one higher for his Affinity, and one lower for his Deficiency. School Rank is one higher/lower for Affinity/Deficiency.

*Just finished reading rank 5 Ronin duelist. Ok, so they blatantly dishonorable cheat by attacking the other duelist before strike is called. Why does this not trump the miruumto as well?. Don't confuse the mechanics of the act with the act itself. In narrative terms, you have two samurai facing one another, each waiting for the other to make some sort of mistake in their stance, even the slightest twitch, to strike. The Ronin Duelist Rank 5 Technique is merely a mechanical means of accomplishing this. It is not any more dishonorable than any other dueling Technique. It's actually at a disadvantage, because in order to use it you have to 1) study (focus) on your opponent for at least a fixed number of rounds 2) succeed at an attack roll and 3) succeed at a Contested Void Roll for it to take effect. Granted, if you do all three of those things it's pretty hoss, but Rank 5s are supposed to be. The ronin is basically usurping the normal dueling procedure to get in a cheap shot. Yes it is dishonorable during a formal duel. (Just like running away screaming because you know you can't win is pretty dishonorable, and in that case may lead the GM to rule that you've chosen to Strike since you don't have the benefit of a Rank 5 Tech to cover your fleeing behind.) Yes it is *effective.* No, it does not get the benefit of the free raises, as the duel has been interrupted. The implications of this are manifold. 1) It's no longer a duel, so your target's TN is no longer artificially low. You might miss. 2) You might fail the contested Void roll. Oops. 3) Your opponent might be higher rank than he let on (Rank 6 or above to your Rank 5 and the tech does nothing). Then you've interrupted the duel to flail wildly and ineffectively and deeply, deeply shame yourself. 4) Even if you win, you better hope nobody that matters saw what you just did. If they did, you'd better pray you can take them out too. It's fun to be a ronin. I see ya both on, so i'm wondering - so which is it hehe See my other post about context. It's dishonorable if, in context, subverting the dueling procedure would bring shame. If in the given context, swift victory is what matters above strict protocol, there is no dishonor. This, I think, is what Shawn was trying to get across. It's dishonorable when used inappropriately, sure, but so are many techniques. Heck, Hida Bushi 1 relies on heavy armor and in most situations wearing heavy armor is highly inappropriate.

Quick Question: Hida Bushi Rank 4: TN Bonus you get from Wearing Armor is Doubled. Crab Kata; Shell of Stone: You may either double your effective Defense Skill or Double the bonus Gained form Wearing Armor. Do these stack? Ie - Rank 4 Crab wearing Heavy Armor an using Kata would have a TM modifier of +40! 10 x2 x2 Or is it Doubled Once each for +30? It would be 30. Rather than a doubled double, it just gains a bonus equal to the base, twice. That should have been made more clear to prevent geometric explosions. And if you choose to Double effective Defense skill then ranks 1-6 would add 2 x Rank to TN (+2 to +12) but once Rank 7-10 is hit it becomes +28 - + 40! Man I knew Crab were masters of defense but geez...with a Decent Reflex (4 or so) a Crab could effectivley have a TN of 100 for 60 Minutes!!! Even without the Kata the Rank 4 tech is pretty Ugly...right up until they run into that Rank 1 Lion Bushi...heh Yep, and he'll shred the poor guy. :D

For any mechanical advantage that requires a Monk, the Monk descriptor covers you. That's why the descriptors were introduced.

When in a Iai duel, a Mirumoto will make Kenjutsu rolls in place of Iaijutsu rolls. When he is ambushed, he will draw his Katana with Kenjutsu/Reflexes, not Iaijutsu/Reflexes. Might be remembering wrong, but doesn't kenjutsu only sub in on attack rolls? Making it necessary for the Mirumoto to have a couple ranks in iai at least. For a Mirumoto, Kenjutsu replaces Iaijutsu on any Skill Roll. However, it does not replace the extraordinary worth of Iaijutsu Mastery Abilities, so he may choose to take the skill to be on par with another duelist who would have them as a matter of course. Likewise, the Kakita may choose to take Kenjutsu for the advantages of Katana Emphasis and Kenjutsu's rather potent Mastery Ability.

I note that one of the abilities listed under the Miya Herald's rank 5 technique is the ability to declare raises after the roll on a Defense roll. Since Defense is not rolled vs a TN, how does this ability work? -Doug All skills have potential uses outside of what is listed in the book, limited to only the GM's imagination. Should the Miya be forced to make a Defense Skill Roll that does involve a TN. Say, for instance, the Herald is traveling through a ruin and the ceiling begins to collapse, raining debris upon his head. No one purposefully set this trap, so there is no skill roll with which to contest, however, Defense would be an appropriate skill to determine the courtier's ability to avoid damage. The GM asks the player to make Defense rolls vs. TN 20 for four rounds as he runs out of the ruins. The player asks if he can run outside more quickly by making raises, and the GM agrees.

Out of curiousity, what exactly counts as a skirmish for the purpose of the Ronin Duelist's studying. Does the Ronin have to be watching the person fight/focus? Could he just be watching the opponent walk through the garden or sitting and drinking sake? Would watching the opponent-to-be practice his daily kata count as studying? Any time Dairya starts leering at you across the courtyard for five rounds, I'd play it safe and run for my life. It's easy for a ronin to begin studying someone to set up his Rank 5, but it's also fairly obvious to anyone who's a skilled warrior that this guy is sizing you up like a piece of meat. Either throw down before he finishes using the technique or get the hell out of Dodge.

Correct. But introducing a mechanical effect to what had been mere flavor text does have a minor impact on Bayushi PCs. Worth y of justifing a one-to-two pont rebate on Ambidexterity... Although I would probably just ammend the school to include a reducation of any off-hand penalty. I want Bayushi with paired war-fans, not full on Niten techinques. A Scorpion still has the off-hand penalty. He may just consider his right hand to be his off hand.

Hello, Roderick! Hida Scout (Possibly Bushi, although not necessarily) These should be bushi. Shosuro Shinobi (Possibly this is right, as it is a weird school) No School type. Otaku Battle-Maiden (Probably bushi, otherwise they can't perform most kata, which seems odd for the most-feared warriors in Rokugan) Agree completely. They are bushi. Ide Emmissary (I assume courtier) Miya Herald. (I assume courtier) Right on both counts. PS Where's the Dragonfly Shugenja school :) In the Lotus Edition Sourcebook. It's the very next book due out. Yes, I'm serious. :)

Well, there are a variety of ways to embody this, no reason to chain it to just one, just as there's no real reason to describe exactly what a Bayushi does differently when he feitnts that makes it so devastating. The ronin may distract his opponent by seeming to withdraw from the duel, he may insult his opponent, he may kick a cloud of dust in his opponent's eyes, it's really up to the GM exactly how the circumstances lead the ronin to utilize the technique - the important thing is a Rank 5 Ronin duelist always finds a way. It's dishonorable by conventional dueling protocol, but there is no Honor loss associated. Why? The most important thing to remember about Rokugani honor and dishonor: CONTEXT If a ronin is forced into a duel by a cocky Kakita duelist on an uninhabited back road and he kills his opponent this way, is it dishonorable? If a ronin uses this technique to shame an inferior opponent in a Hida dojo, will the Crabs be outraged or find it greatly amusing? (Depends if the victim was a Crab, I guess.) If a ronin mercenary is called out by an enemy general and he uses this technique to get the officer out of the way and win the day, will his employers see his victory as shameful? This technique breaks protocol. Sometimes, breaking protocol is a grievous, shameful act. Sometimes it's simply what must be done. Nine times out of ten, this technique will likely cause ripples of shame and outrage - but it'll also bring victory. Is victory shameful? Possibly. Depends on the context. Note that there isn't much said on the use of this technique in Kenjutsu. For the most part, open combat is often seen as "everything goes." If there's a full scale war going on and the ronin backs off to watch the enemy officier fight for five rounds, then leaps out and demolishes him with a knee to the groin followed by decapitation, I don't think many people will call him dishonorable (especially if they're afraid he'll come after them next).

All advantages and benefits of a kata last only for the duration of that kata unless the kata says otherwise. Thus I echo Joe's suggestion of rolling extra dice for your Striking as Wind Initiative bonus. If you make the mistake of forgetting what the bonus was - sorry, you can't drop the kata as long as you're getting the benefits. Standing on the Heavens is an example of a kata whose penalty outlasts its duration. The rest of the day is the rest of the day whether the kata is on or not. As for the new ability to summon up a kata quickly when you need them - well that's the point. With the large preparation time and the fact you cannot use more than one kata at a time, most players in 2E did not bother with kata at all. The preparation was too unwieldy and the drawbacks often made the benefits not worth the risk. The ability to fall into the stance when you need it gives them greater utility. The balance remains that generally only one can be used at a time, and that if you drop one you have to begin the preparation all over again. As for whether or not perception is useful in a combat (as in the case of Striking As Earth) try using that kata against a Scorpion. Don't blame me when he brings a long a few more friends than you expected and you didn't notice. :wink:

If a Shiba is performing an attack, can he spend any number of void on damage with his katana? No, damage is not an action. It is an effect of the weapon's Damage Rating.

Yes, Rank 5 stacks with the Rank 1. The reason it says the target gains no Points is so that he does not immediately spend them! The point value, however, is still there. As for it being twinkish, well anything that's effective can be argued to be twinkish, and the Bayushi are certainly effective. It adds another edge of danger to any interaction to the Bayushi - you need to worry about not just what he really wants, but what mechanical advantage he might be gaining on you just for talking to you. In my opinion, it does a good job of embodying a Bayushi's ability to learn a great deal about his target through practiced observation, finding details that the target never intended to reveal, and manipulating without ever truly seeming to manipulate. Note: If it wasn't clear, this post is in regards to the first and fifth Bayushi Courtier Techniques.

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