The Collected Rulings (and Wisecracks) of Rich Wulf

Mirumoto has Kenjutsu (katana), and so he DOES get to add his kenjutsu ranks to his iajustu rolls. However, iajutsu does not HAVE emphisis, so a Kakita does NOT get this benifit when using Iajutsu in skirmish, right? Forthermore, only the skill ranks, masteries and emphisis are copied, but NOT associated trait. So a Kakita, when substituting iajutsu for kenjutsu must still use agility ... right? (seems kinda like a half-way deal ... and does NOT favor Kakita, but that's just opinion). Here's how it works. The ONLY thing that carries over is the skill rank. However, any Mastery benefits that still apply in that situation stick around. For example: Mirumoto Bill is fighting in an Iaijutsu Duel. Bill has 5 Kenjutsu. He gets to use Kenjutsu instead of his Iaijutsu rank, but every other part of the duel remains the same as normal. He still gets to spend an additional Void Point on a single damage roll with a katana, because that's a benefit of having Kenji 5 and that doesn't go away. (A Crane with Kenji 5 would be getting the same advantage in such a duel.) Bill doesn't get to add 5 to his Iaijutsu roll for using an Emphasis, because Iaijutsu has no Emphases. His Katana Emphasis is irrelevant here. Now let's look at the flip side. Kakita Ted is fighting in a skirmish using Kenjutsu. He has Kenji 5, Katana Emphasis, and Iaijutsu 7. He gets to use his Iaijutsu 7 for all Skill rolls, but he gains -all- the normal bonuses a character is entitled to on a Kenjutsu roll. This means he gets to spend the addiitonal void point on damage (Kenji 5 mastery) and he gets to add 5 to his total (Katana Emphasis bonus). The only thing that swaps out is the Skill Rank. Everything else stays the same. Thus it behooves a Kakita or Mirumoto to gather ranks in both. On a side note ... how many zeni are in a bu? The book states both 10 and 20 as being the answer (pgs. 38 and 181). In 1st ed. wasn't it closer to 100 zeni to a bu? 10 zeni per bu. That's what my first printing copy of 1E says so I'll stick with that. And one final question for Combat Reflexes ... in the case of multiple people having it ... who swaps first? Bottom to top or vice versa? I would give higher initiative characters the right to choose first (to give them the chance to perhaps escape losing their initiative to a lower rolling opponent with CR). Once you've made your choice, you're stuck with it for the combat. The exception to this would be whoever rolls highest in the entire skirmish. I'd let them use their CR whenever they like, so that if someone ganks their initiative they can immediately yank it back.

1) When making a test of honor for a failed roll, you can substitute your honor for the skill or trait. What if you substitute honor for a skill you don't have? Would the roll be made as if the samurai had the skill, thus allowing 10s to explode, or would they just get the extra dice to roll? It's counted as if you had the Skill, though you do not magically gain Emphases if they are required for that use of the Skill. 2) Rank 2 Otomo Courtier allows the courtier to spend a void to make someone automatically fail their test of honor. Do they lose honor as if they failed normally in this instance, or is the honor loss ignored? You lose honor normally. Don't mess with the Imperial Family.

You may only use Emphasis Abilities (noted appropriately under the Skills that have them) if you have the appropriate Emphasis. If you do not have this Emphasis, you can still use the skill normally. Meaning that if you have Courtier, you can Gossip all you want, but you can't make the Raise to conceal the fact you're gossiping. If you have Acting, you can act in a variety of styles, but can't disguise yourself without Disguise.

Yes it does affect crane more but it still generally makes a mockery of the initiative process. Unless you are in ANY of the situations Dan illustrated in his first post, in which case Combat Reflexes is less useful. That was the point of this entire thread, unless I'm gravely misunderstanding where Dan's coming from. Combat Relexes is not "take the initiative of anyone higher than you." It's "Take the initiative of one person directly above you in Initiative order, friend or foe." Heck if your ally is a Kakita, your using this Advantage is likely to do more harm than good if used recklessly. Quick is still useful. In a group combat it might give you the small boost you need to beat someone on legitimate Initiative, thus removing the need for Combat Reflexes. If you have both, you can get a higher Initiative via Quick and thus steal a better Initiative spot with Combat Reflexes, thus ameliorating one of CR's biggest weaknesses - multiple opponents. Which references this post: Combat Reflexes, an introspective. Combat Reflexes: "After initiative has been rolled in a skirmish, you may choose to move up or down one space in the establshed order, essentially trading places with the combatant before or after you." Lets all examine Combat Reflexes and it's impact on a skirmish! For simplicities sake, Samurai A will have Combat Reflexes, no one else will. Figure 1: Samurai A is taking a lovely strole through the Shadowlands, while seeing the sights he notices an Oni. Obviously this is an afront to his honor, so he attacks! No matter the initiative outcome, Samurai A goes first and strikes the Oni down! The Oni, feeling a tickling sensation around its belly as Carapace absorbes the damage thinks "I must be feeling a bit peckish", and eats Samurai A. Impact of Combat Reflexes: None Figure 2: Samurai A is taking a lovely strole through wartorn countryside, while seeing the sights he notices many bandits. Obviously this is an afront to his honor, so he attacks! Rolling well on initative Samurai A trades places with a bandit in the initative order and beats all of the bandits and attacks first! The remaining bandits, starving and thinking about how much food they could for those pretty swords, all desperatly attack. The bandits eat well that evening. Impact of Combat Reflexes in an unlimited enviroment (multiple opponents): Little Figure 3: Samurai A is being made fun of by another samurai for taking Combat Reflexes. His rage is to great and he demands a duel to the death! After waiting months to get the permission to duel the two samurai face in a formal Iaijutsu contest. Samurai A's family are well in the knowledge that Samurai A died honorably... Impact of Combat Reflexes in a One on One formal duel: None Figure 4: Samurai A has an assassination order placed on him after seducing another samurai's wife. Not placing any points in Perception or related skills as "They do not help win fights", he does not notice the several archers in his yard armed with poison tiped arrows and is quickly dispatched from the mortal realm. Impact of Combat Reflexes in an ambush: Little Figure 5: While Samurai A is shopping for brooms he notices there is only one broom remaining. Another samurai is also shopping for brooms. Obviously their honor is afronted and they must fight to the death immediately, forsaking the cultural rules against such an act. Using Combat Reflexes Samurai A is put in a position to win. That evening Samurai A reflects on the 6 points wisely spent as he sweeps his floors... Impact of Combat Reflexes in limited One on One combat without formal dueling rules: Major Perhaps, just perhaps, outside of say, Street Fighter style tournaments of fighting men and women and beasts in Legend of the Five Rings, Combat Reflexes is not as strong as it appears.

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.

Shiba number 1 goes: *Spends a void to raise his TN by 10 *If he takes damage that round, he spends a void to reduced the damage by 10 *On his action, he spends a void to hit and a void on damage. Shiba number 2 goes: *Shiba 2 spends a void to raise his TN by 10 ………-Shiba 1 now makes a contested void roll against Shiba 2 who declares 5 raises on the roll in order to FAIL, thus letting Shiba number get a void back. *If Shiba 2 takes damage that round, he spends a void to reduced the damage by 10 ………-Shiba 1 now makes a contested void roll against Shiba 2 who declares 5 raises on the roll in order to FAIL, thus letting Shiba number get a void back. *On his action, Shiba 2 spends a void to hit and a void on damage. ………-Shiba 1 now makes a contested void roll against Shiba 2 who declares 5 raises on the roll in order to FAIL, thus letting Shiba number get a void back. Next round: *Shiba 1 spends a void to raise his TN by 10 ………-Shiba 2 now makes a contested void roll against Shiba 1 who declares 5 raises on the roll in order to FAIL, thus letting Shiba number get a void back. *If Shiba 1 takes damage that round, he spends a void to reduced the damage by 10 ………-Shiba 2 now makes a contested void roll against Shiba 1 who declares 5 raises on the roll in order to FAIL, thus letting Shiba number get a void back. *On his action, Shiba 1 spends a void to hit and a void on damage. ………-Shiba 2 now makes a contested void roll against Shiba 1 who declares 5 raises on the roll in order to FAIL, thus letting Shiba number get a void back. Continue… :D The only issue I see with this is that you can't really Raise without Raising toward some sort of effect, and there's really no effect that the person who wishes to fail could name. However, the bushi COULD just choose to fail his contested Roll. The balance here is that you can really get only one Void Point back at a time in this manner. The Shiba could have Void forever if he only spent one at a time, but if he blew all his Void at once (as the Shiba tend to do) he'd be out. Of course if he had a chance to take a break he could recover his Void quickly by sparring with his friend and spending Void until they were both full again. I think by far the more underestimated use of this Technique is to make Shiba extremely good watchdogs. Imagine a ninja trying to sneak through Shiro Shiba. Does he attempt to sneak past the vigilant Shiba with a vanilla roll or does he spend Void on Stealth? If he does... oops... EDIT: On further reflection my above math is off a bit. While two Rank 4 Shiba will have one free Void on any particular action back to back, it'll take at least 3 together to 'refill' assuming one has at least a Void Point left. It'd work like so: Shiba 1 - Has 1 Void Shiba 2 - Has zero Void Shiba 3 - Has zero Void Shiba 1 spends his Void point on whatever, the others activate their rank technique and Shiba 1 intentionally fails his Contested Roll. Now the Void looks like this: Shiba 1 - Has zero Void Shiba 2 - Has 1 Void Shiba 3 - Has 1 Void We do it again. This time, Shiba 2 spends a Void Point. Now the totals look like this: Shiba 1 - Has 1 Void Shiba 2 - Has zero Void Shiba 3- Has 2 Void You can see the pattern here. Each time we're losing one Void Point from the group pool but gaining two. If we do it again, and Shiba 3 takes his turn, it looks like this: Shiba 1 - Has 2 Void Shiba 2 - Has 1 Void Shiba 3 - Has 1 Void And so forth, until they are all full again. Yeah this is a strong ability, but it takes time (it also takes three Rank 4 Shiba Bushi, which is most likely rare outside of Phoenix lands).

There is no inherent ability to sense the Taint in an average character. This is important. The Taint is often subtle and unnoticed. This is one of the many reasons it is so dangerous. A Tainted character may randomly find his cover hosed when his corruption causes his skin to sluff off in heaps, but another character with less noticeable symptoms will fit in just fine. Another important bit to remember - Jade is not kryptonite. A Tainted character will certainly be uncomfortable in its presence and its touch will cause pain, but a strong willed character can conceal his reactions. Even a full-on Lost character won't burst into flames for touching jade (though some oni and other creatures have a stronger aversion and will be visibly injured merely by contact). To use another common fantasy analogy - consider a vampire and a wooden stake. The vampire isn't going to like having that thing around due to what it represents, but he'll have no problem picking it up, carrying it around, and perhaps even pounding it into the heart of a rival vampire. Some of Daigotsu's Lost were rather infamous for using jade arrows agaisnt their Bloodspeaker enemies. That being said, it can't be denied that jade does have its uses in detecting the Taint. A Tainted character who ingests ground jade will be unable to endure its presence in his body and will vomit, revealing his Taint as well as possibly deeply dishonoring himself depending on where and when he loses his lunch. Further, the spell Jade Strike is a pretty good indicator of Taint. If a Kuni shugenja offers to place his "blessing" on you and you burst into flames and die - well then he has his answer. If nothing happens, then everything is fine. Technically, the Kuni has not lied. He really has called upon the Earth spirits to purge you of evil - that's exactly what Jade Strike does - if you were actually tainted and are burned to a crisp it's not exactly -his- fault. That being said, some folks would take insult at any suspicion that they were Tainted (blessing or no), and Rokugan is a place where insult can often have fatal repercussions. Tea of Jade Petals can conceal Taint symptoms, though it does not repair the damage done by previously gained symptoms. For example, if the Taint made your eyes glow red in the dark, then you'll look perfectly normal upon consuming the tea. The glow will fade. If it made your eyes roll out of your head leaving gaping sockets in their place - well that's still pretty obvious even once your symptoms are gone The Shadowlands Power, Beside the Darkness, can suppress symptoms as well as protect a Tainted individual from both Jade Strike and the pain and/or nausea induced by contact with jade. Of course, these effects also prevent a Tainted character from using any of his Shadowlands Powers. Note that many places of importance in Rokugan, including the homes of family daimyo, Clan Champions, and the Emperor have inherent protections in place that will do grievous damage to a Shadowlands character that enters without taking appropriate precautions. The Evil Ward spell somehow didn't make the list for 3E, but expect its return shortly. In the meantime, here are its official stats: (begin spell text) Evil Ward Rank 1 Fire Spell Duration: 24 Hours Area of Effect: 10' Radius Range: Touch This spell requires 10 Rounds to cast, and involves an elaborate process of preparation. The shugenja must first inscribe a mystical symbol on the object to be warded with chalk, paint, or calligraphy inks. Once created, this item may be used to create the ward at any future time. If this item is moved or destroyed, the effects of any ward in place immediately end. A shugenja may not cast Evil Ward upon a symbol he has not personally crafted, and may not be attuned to more than one symbol at a time. If he creates a new symbol, his ability to ward all previously created symbols is permanently lost. If the shugenja who created an Evil Ward dies, the effects of his Ward immediately end. Once the Ward is in place, any creature with the Shadowlands Taint who comes within the spell's radius immediately suffers 5k5 Wounds and visibly bursts into green flame. The creature continues to take 5k5 Wounds every round until it leaves the radius. Unfortunately the magic required to keep the kami in place for such a long period of time is quite delicate. A Banish (Fire) spell cast specifically to remove the Evil Ward will instantly destroy the symbol, so long as the caster makes an equal number of Raises as the original shugenja did when placing the Evil Ward. The shugenja who originally cast the ward will immediately be aware that it has been dispelled, even waking from sleep when the banishment occurs. Special Raises: You may Raise twice to increase the radius of the spell by ten feet. This effect may be added a number of times up to your Fire Ring, assuming you have enough Void to make the appropriate number of Raises. (End spell text) As you can see this is a relatively simple spell to cast, and with the number of shugenja most households have under their command, there's very little reason why any daimyo worth his salt would not have an Evil Ward in place to protect the most important parts of his castle. Sure, it's easy for a Tainted character to get around, but it's also rather obvious when it's been broken.

And, you are forgetting one case that is very common in Rokugan: Case 7: Samurai A is guarding a important Courtier that poses a threat to the Scorpion Clan. He notices a shadow move behind him and suddenly realizes a Ninja has his sword ready to cut trough his Guards neck. Samurai A automatically beats the Ninja for initiative, killing him in a single strike before he harms his Guard. Meaning he has fast... reflexes. If you're designing a character meant to win one on one fights, such as say a yojimbo* then yes Combat Reflexes is a worthy investment. It's also a relatively expensive one. You can make the argument that a character *needs* Combat Reflexes to win one on one fights. It's not any more (or less) valid that a character *needs* Strength of the Earth to minimize damage or that he *needs* high Void so that he can spend it to alleviate some of the effects of that damage. These options are all powerful, but they are also expensive. I'd argue Strength of the Earth is a bit more potent than Combat Reflexes, as it's more useful in a variety of situations (i.e. "any time you suffer Wounds"). *or perhaps an assassin.

It is already figured into the abilities of the school, though a Bayushi who chooses to fight right handed is assumed to be compensating in some other manner. We're not going to penalize players for such relatively minor character decisions. Mostly, it's a subtle psychological advantage as well as just a bit of flavor. A Lion who chooses to fight left handed won't suddenly gain Pincers and Tail.

You can no longer lie with Etiquette (Sincerity)! w00t! I mean, you can bend the truth still, and I really do like the example provided. But no longer can a Courtier slander you with outright lies ... ...unless he uses Deceit (Lying), a Low skill. (A sigh of relief is heard from aboard Anjin's Flagship). Using a Low skill costs you Honour. As a nostalgic note. The Crane Clan courtiers (Diplomats, Governors, etc) in the earliest days of the CCG weren't noted for their high Honour. Arrr. Yeah. Sincerity has always been a highly misunderstood skill. The fact that it could be used to outright lie was always sort of a paradox. The only Skill named directly after a virtue of Bushido, and it was the only Skill that apparently allowed flagrant manipulation of the truth with no honor loss. The new incarnation of Sincerity is, I think, a great deal more approrpriate. At any rate I've long felt that any Courtier who needed to lie to hide the truth was either unimaginative or lazy. :D

1: Is it possible to have 3 names, 1 family and 2 given? For a while, I thought that the only person to have had 2 given names (not counting gaijin/Unicorn) was Hantei Jimmu Tenno (and 1 of those, if not both, was more of a title than a name). However, in the 2e rulebook there is an example starter character called Asako Xiu Feng. "Xiu Feng" a valid name. The Unicorn brought back some exotic naming practices upon their return, and these do occasionally spread into other clans via intermarriage. Thus you will see the occasional name more Chinese than Japanese in flavor. I have doubts about whether this is OK, though, given the lack of checking that went into another starting character. Togashi Mifune, a Mirumoto Bushi. And I thought everyone named Togashi was an ise zumi. Maybe that's why he has 3 ranks of Unluck! Most Togashi do join the Order of the Eternal Dragon, but they will, rarely, pursue other destinies. Sometimes Togashi simply has other plans for them. I can't think of a single family in Rokugan that is entirely forbidden to join other schools, though it's a great deal rarer for some than others. For a nice canon example of a non-ise zumi Togashi, look no further than Togashi Yama. 2: Where do the Wasp Clan fit into the Celestial Order? I'm thinking just below samurai, as they carry no swords and a large number were born heimin or even eta. But they are definitely NOT heimin. Possibly equal standing to an accepted ronin of dubious ancestry. They are samurai, albeit samurai with some pronounced philosophical quirks. Some of them choose not to carry the symbol of their station, and despise much of the Code of Bushido as well as the name of samurai, but they are indeed still samurai. The fact that they continue to enforce law and rule their lands (rather than put down those bows and go harvest the next crop) is all the evidence you need.

There is no condition set by the technique on when the bonus to initative is applied. This means that the kakita bushi always adds twice his iaijutsu ranks to his initative no matter what he is doing. If you want a story "explanation" on why, the Kakita school's emphasis on training superior speed and reflexes in the iaijutsu duel makes them quicker to act than others. Regards, Joe Harney Bayushi Kenshin www.living-rokugan.com This is correct. I like it when somebody else gives the right answer first.

Assuming the technique did not change in edits (which very well could happen) the intent of the technique is indeed that a Hida's Wounds permanently double upon taking the technique, and remain in that state forevermore (unless the technique is somehow cancelled - I can't think of anything off hand that would do that, but don't want to rule out the possibility). In other words, let's take Hida Fred, who has 4 Earth at Rank 4. He thus has 8 Wounds per Wound Rank. He reaches Rank 5. He know has 16 Wounds per Wound Rank. Yes, this Rank Technique is huge, but in and of itself all it does is make you harder to kill. It's pure defense. It doesn't save you from being disarmed, disabled, or from the enemy that just does so much damage that he doesn't care. Compare this to the Dragon Rank 5, which gives you 3+ attacks per round and lets you add 3X Fire to all attack rolls, or the Lion Rank 5 which adds 3X water to damage and allows you to succeed on rolls where you declared Raises, even if you fail to meet the Raises. Either of these guys can saw through a Hida's extra Wounds in a one on one matchup, and these are two schools taken entirely at random. Now. Are there some schools that will have a great deal of difficulty taking out a Hida with double Wounds? I sure hope so. Just like that same Hida will have a great deal of trouble taking out a Rank 5 Scorpion when he spends every round either disarmed, striking at nothing, or sitting on his butt. Every rock has its paper. If you knew you picked up scissors at the start, don't be surprised when they get broken.

View Full Version: The Collected Rulings (and Wisecracks) of Rich Wulf - Player