Foreword
Slicing through hordes of zombies, his armor tattered and torn and hanging by the loosest strands, katana high overhead, face contorted in an exultant rage—this image of the samurai on the cover of the first Legend of the Five Rings book remains engraved in my memory.
Damn, that looks fun.
Somewhere along the way, though, as I played both the card game and the roleplaying game, the adventure became stale. Part of it was the increasing complexity of the RPG system, as it seemed to get as much wrong as it did right, and every time a subsequent edition fixed one gripe of mine, a new one was introduced. I kept fixing and tweaking the system to my satisfaction, my players eventually ending up with hundreds of pages of revamps and reinterpretations of all the schools, skills, etc.
The other issue was the world itself. Not only did Rokugan have to account for sometimes bizarre card tournament victories, but the foundations underlying the clan and family structures didn't really work upon reflection, and even more importantly the mental gymnastics required to explain why these samurai from such disparate origins remained together instead of slaying each other on sight was more than occasionally maddening. Sure, you could use the old Emerald Magistrate convention, but the game wasn't really designed for it. The mechanics didn't actually support this assumption, and simply declaring everyone part of a magistrate's entourage becomes a lazy technique instead of an innovation far too quickly.
So even as I monkeyed with the rules, I slowly began moving away from the Rokugan canon. I was doing “L5R Your Way” long before it became a slogan; of course, no doubt all L5R players were. I have yet to hear of a game that didn't diverge from canon once the specifics of “Who do I serve? How do these clans really interact? Who's really in charge?” began to be seriously questioned, or of a character that didn't have to break the mold extraordinarily just to take a School or Advantage they really wanted without disturbing the unity of the group. And it wasn't just because the rules were punishing you for being different, or punishing you for standing out; in Rokugan, that would be a mechanic that actually would support the culture. It was punishing you for just creating a character, and telling you that conflict was good for a game while mechanically punishing you for actually creating characters that could be in conflict.
I wanted a setting more internally consistent, something the players could engage as complex from the beginning, instead of focusing so much on shorthand stereotypes and mechanics domination by faction. If you wanted to be a great duelist, you came from the Crane Clan because they had the best dueling School. If you wanted to be from some other Clan and take that School, it required taking Advantages or Disadvantages. It cost you. This is a punishment. Whenever you have to pay points to pursue a course that someone else doesn't have to pay for, that's a punishment. If it's a punishment that is designed as a mechanic to encourage or discourage certain things, that's one thing. But it's absurd to think that other clans wouldn't want a great duelist, and wouldn't either develop their own, or better yet figure out a way to receive that training. If you were the daimyo of the clan and didn't figure out how to provide channels for the talented duelists, or for that matter cavaliers, heavy infantry, sneaky bastards, etc., within your authority to fulfill their potential for the good of the clan, you deserve to be deposed.
This, then, is an attempt to present a Legend of the Five Rings setting and system that remains consistent with itself, and works in both theory (setting) and reality (mechanics). An attempt to negotiate the space between.
And you're invited. This is strictly for fun, strictly as an exercise in rediscovering the best RPG I ever played, the one that gave me and my friends more years of continuous play and fun than any other. I want you to follow along as a different view of Legend of the Five Rings grows, to comment and refine the mechanics and world as it redevelops itself. Take whatever ideas you want to apply to your own game, and leave a few for me or someone else to incorporate. After, Legend of the Five Rings isn't mine. Or even, really, AEG's. No game truly is.
Chapter 1: You Gotta Know Your Basics
So, some observations before I start tackling the basic mechanics. Assuming you are already familiar with Legend of the Five Rings, essential rules stay the same: grab some d10's, roll, keep a few, add'em together and compare them against some number for success or failure. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. One major change, though, is about Raises. Sure, in combat what Raises can do is fairly fixed. But using them outside combat has always been iffy. You can use them for more impressive success, but what the hell does that really mean? How do you quantify it? I rarely had players make non-essential, non-combat Raises, because the idea that I "scale the wall REALLY GOOD!" just seems...
not quite epic.
So, I stole an idea from Houses of the Blooded. And mechanics and concepts from Blood & Honor, Savage Worlds, 7th Sea... and other game systems I've probably forgotten. There might be some
original ideas buried in there somewhere, but untangling the lineage of what's been evolving over a decade-long span is a Herculean task and, frankly, I don't think it merits the effort. Take what you like and leave the rest. Play the game. That's the highest honor you can give any designer.
Also, the arrangement. Instead of character creation first, shouldn't a game really start with the basic system outlined, so that you know how it all works together and then build your character according to what you want to accomplish? I feel terrible when a player builds a cool character, then once play begins learns that nothing does what they thought it did because they weren't grounded in the rules first. Sure, that's their responsibility to learn, but why put that somewhere in the middle of the book instead of laying it out in the front? Help your brother out.
The result is the basic rules that are independent of your character's individual statistics are covered in the first chapter, while character creation is covered in the second chapter, including all rules that are particular to your character. Until you have Skills, knowing how Skills work is kind of irrelevant. However, knowing how rolling & keeping dice works is universal regardless of whether it applies to Traits, Rings, Skills, etc. And then chapter three covers Hachigoku itself (including detailed rules on the uji, an amalgam of traditional Clan and Family concepts), with chapters four through eight covering the professions in detail (bushi, teishin, shugenja, gakusho, and ronin). The remaining chapters cover things like NPC's and stuff better left as antagonists: Shadowlands Taint, Lying Darkness, etc.
I've tried to keep true to Legend of the Five Rings, both in rules and setting. But then I've altered or chucked out a whole lot, too.
Rokugan, they say, is not Japan. Except when it is. This is Hachigoku: The Empire of Eight Kingdoms. Hachigoku is not Rokugan. Except when it is.
Let's play.
Hachigoku's Roll & Keep System
Whenever a player needs to resolve a task that is vital to the adventure yet carries a significant chance of failure, dice are rolled to determine success or failure. The game exclusively uses 10-sided dice (d10's). When making a roll, the player gathers a number of dice (usually determined by a Trait, Ring, or Skill Rank), rolls, then selects which dice to “keep” (usually determined by a Trait, Ring, or School Rank). Rank is an important term; this is a numeric value attached to the Trait, Ring, Skill, etc. Most rolls will be stated as a Skill/Ring formula,Occasionally, I have these little sidebars pop up to illustrate examples or other aspects related to the rule being described not integral.
implying you want dice equal to the Rank of each statistic, even if it doesn't explicitly read Rank. Or, a rule will simply say equal to or dependent on your Trait, Ring, Skill, etc., implying its Rank. Once the kept dice are selected, the value of each kept die is added together, plus or minus ant modifiers, and compared to the target number (TN) of the roll. If the roll meets or beats the TN, the attempt succeeds. Otherwise, it fails. Beating the TN grants you an “effect,” which typically results in standard results: the player convinces a character their telling the truth, or rolls damage dice after a successful strike, or the spell is cast.
Distinguishing between how many dice are rolled and how many are kept is commonly described as follows: the number rolled is listed first (X), followed by a “k,” and then a second number for how many kept (Y). So a typical roll is written XkY.
Usually players keep their highest die, but you don't have to. You can keep any dice you wish.
If a rolls a 10, it “explodes.” The player can roll another die, adding the two numbers generated together. A die can continue to explode, adding its totals together. The combined total is considered the total of the original exploding die.
Some rolls are considered opposed rolls. This means you and at least one other must each make a roll, usually using the same Trait, Ring, or Skill. The TN for the roll is set as the competitor's result. It is also possible that participants in an opposed roll must meet a TN set by the GM, such as to win the heart of a samurai. If neither meets or beats the TN, then both fail, even if one roll was higher than the other. If the rolls tie, victory goes to the initiating player; if the roll is a direct competition (such as the footrace example) then the result is a tie (both Hida Jo and Shiba Yo pass the finish line simultaneously).
Sometimes the rules might distinguish between a roll and an “attempted” roll or action. If a roll is to determine the success or failure of an attempted action, it's attempted (such as an attack roll). If the roll is the consequence of a previous roll, or otherwise intended to measure a reaction (such as a damage roll), then it's not an attempted roll. This is especially important as regards Wound Penalties.
A maximum of 10 dice may be rolled or kept on any given dice roll. If you should be rolling more dice than 10, each additional die over 10 is converted to a kept die. And extra kept die over your maximum of 10 gives you a Free Raise.
Group Rolls
Group rolls are made when a group of characters attempts the same basic action (such as investigating, intimidating, tracking, etc.) at once
in a coordinated, combined effort. That way a more talented individual covers for another’s deficiency. When making the group roll, one of the characters acts as the primary actor, using their Traits, Skills, etc. Each additional character adds a +1k0 bonus to the roll. That's it. This bonus is capped at the lowest Trait, Skill, etc. among the additional actors.
Suggested TN Difficulties
TN Difficulty Physical Mental
0 Mundane Getting out of bed. Recalling details of your sword.
“Exploding” Example: Akira rolls a 10. It
explodes. He rolls another 10. It explodes. He rolls a 5. His total roll for the single die is 25.
Opposed Roll Example: Hida Jo and Shiba Yo are engaged in an intense footrace, using
Athletics/Stamina. Each must make such a Skill roll; the higher roll wins.
Maximum Dice Example: For whatever reason, once Akira has added up all bonuses, Skills, etc., he is asked to make a 14k3 roll. This instead becomes a 10k7 roll. Alternatively, he must make a 15k7 roll, which becomes a 10k10 roll with 2 Free Raises.
XkY Example: Akira makes a 4k2 roll. He rolls 4 dice, keeps 2, and adds their totals before comparing the result to the TN.
TN Difficulty Physical Mental
5 Very Easy Striking an immobile target. Recognizing a friend. 10 Easy Carrying half your weight. Finding a misplaced item.
15 Average Lifting your weight over your head. Recognizing someone in disguise. 20 Moderate Diving safely from a waterfall. Finding a well-hidden object.
25 Difficult Scaling a cliff without a rope. Remembering someone's exact words. 40 Heroic Out-wrestling an ogre. Naming all your ancestors in order. 50 Legendary Shattering stone with your bare hands. Outwitting a Fortune.
Raises
Sometimes you want to achieve a better than “just successful” result, perhaps even an extraordinary success. To do so, you can increase the TN of the roll by increments of +5 (some abilities may alter the increments necessary for a Raise). Each such increment is a “Raise.” Spellcasting, combat, or special ability rolls often have specific effects that can only be accomplished with Raises.
You cannot make more Raises than your Void Ring, although this may be modified by special abilities or circumstances. Those without a Void Ring may make Raises equal to their lowest Ring.
Some abilities give you Free Raises. These grant the same benefits as regular Raises, but do not actually increase the TN, nor are they limited by Rings. These can be added in addition to regular Raises for spectacular effects.
What you can do with Raises is add “bonus effects” to the success. These bonus effects might be be detailed as with the combat, spellcasting, or special ability rolls, or they can grant you narrative control. Each Raise grants one additional effect, enabling whoever makes the Raise to collaborate in creating a collective narrative beyond just their individual actions. Each effect outside of the detailed rules allows you to embellish the action, or even the entire scene, with a single fact. These facts are subject to certain conditions.
You can narrate the actions and descriptions of the Scene, objects, or even characters (including other player characters) with your Raises. Of course, these actions or descriptions must make sense within the context of the scene, adventure, and setting. Otherwise, you're inhibiting the collective enjoyment of the other players. You can be as clever as you like, but each effect can contain no conjunctions or
disjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), except to combine the benefits of several Raises.
Thus, you cannot use a Raise to contradict an already established fact. In other words, you cannot use a Raise to say “No.” You can modify a fact, however, with a “Yes, and...” or “Yes, but...” You cannot simply negate another player's Raises or erase the established reality of the game in progress.
Nor can you use a Raise to replace a roll. If striking a foe with your katana requires a roll, a risk on your part, then you cannot use a Raise to simply say you hit your foe as part of some other action. At least, not to cause damage or produce some other effect (such as disarming) normally acquired
Raises Example: Akira is chasing his foe across the rooftops of Ryoko Owari, leaping across an alleyway. He must make his
Athletics/Strength roll with a TN of 20. His Athletics is a 6, granting him a Free Raise, and his Strength a 5, so he rolls 6k5 + 1 Free Raise. Thinking that sounds pretty simple, he decides to make 2 Raises, making the TN 30. Rolling, he gets 1, 3, 6, 6, 9, and 10, exploding for a 2, Thus his roll total is 36, beating the TN. Thus Akira clears the distance (beating the TN), and impresses a geisha watching from a balcony (using his Free Raise), all while gaining a Void Point (converting his other two Raises).
through Raises.
Additionally, you can convert unused Raises (even Free Raises) into Void Points; 1 Void Point is replenished per two Raises, although you cannot exceed your Void Ring (unless some special ability circumvents this limit).
This is an important fact about Raises: you make them before you roll, but you don't have to decide how to spend them until after the roll.
Finally, you can use Raises to fail creatively. Think about that. General TN Modifiers
Some situations impose conditional modifiers that apply to almost all rolls.
Blinded: If blinded for any reason, you suffer a +20 TN penalty to all activities requiring sight, such as attack rolls. Your TN to be Hit is reduced to 5, as if you were unaware.
Darkness: Dim light (such as candle light) or fog imposes a +5 TN penalty to all actions that require sight, and an additional +5 TN penalty to all Perception rolls or ranged attacks. Total darkness makes you effectively blinded.
Deafened: In addition to the obvious effects of deafness (no reaction to aural stimuli), you also receive a +10 TN penalty on all opposed rolls against the Stealth Skill or to otherwise detect something with an audible component (unless it is audio only, in which case you automatically fail).
Going Without Sleep: Each day you go without sleep, you suffer a +10 TN penalty to all rolls. Every day you must make an Earth Ring roll (TN 20 x the number days without sleep) to resist falling asleep. After 3 days, your dice no longer explode. Sleeping for 8 hours + 25% of the time you were awake removes this penalty.
Suffocation: In certain circumstances, such as when underwater or trying not to inhale poisonous gases, it is necessary to hold your breath. You can go without air for a number of minutes equal to your Stamina. After this time, you lose 1 Stamina Rank per round. When you reach 0 Stamina due to suffocation, you die. If you breathe again before this time elapses (and there is fresh air to do so), you immediately gain all lost Stamina back.
Starvation: A character who goes without food for more than 48 hours suffers a +10 TN penalty to all rolls. A character who goes without food for 1 week is starving and loses 1 Stamina. The penalties are cumulative and reoccur every week. If his Stamina is reduced to 0, he dies. A character who is merely getting half the normal amount of food still loses Stamina, but the process takes twice as long and he can make an Earth Ring roll (TN 25) to resist the effect each time. A starving character who finds food will slowly recover. The TN penalty is lost as soon as he gets a decent meal. Lost Stamina recovers at a rate of 1 Rank per week, so long as the character is getting his nutritional requirements.
Dehydration: A character who goes without water for more than 24 hours loses 1 Stamina Rank. If his Stamina is reduced to 0, he dies. A character who is merely getting half the normal amount of water still loses Stamina, but the process takes twice as long and he can make an Earth Ring roll (TN 25) to resist the effect each time. A dehydrating character who finds water will slowly recover. Lost Stamina recovers at a rate of 1 Rank per day, so long as the character is getting his nutritional requirements.
Time
An important consideration for the mechanics of a game is the concept of time. How much time does it take to do a specific task, or even independent of a given task how is time measured? It is one thing to
measure time in years, then months, then days (all of which Hachigoku does), and another thing to measure it in rounds and phases.
Seasons
So, for mechanics purposes, the largest unit of time is a Year, which in turn is composed of four Seasons. A Season is pretty much what it sounds like: a roughly three month length of time. What's important about the Season is that it's a specific time unit in which certain actions requiring a great deal of time and concentration, such as training or crafting complicated items, take place. Which Season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) is currently active can influence certain other mechanics, and the end of the Year (concurrent with the end of Winter) is a time for accounting when all the koku is taxed and the Winter Courts recount the glories of the past year. Most games are assumed to begin in Spring, but there's no strict rule against beginning in another Season instead.
Also, each Season corresponds to one of the Five Rings; Void can be theorized as symbolizing the entire Year. This is important when it comes to performing Season Actions, described much later.
The correspondences are: Spring: Water
Summer: Fire Autumn: Earth Winter: Air
Why take such an extend view of your character's activities? Well, he has responsibilities to his daimyo and shinden. Even a ronin must scrape and scrounge for work to survive. None of this is particularly exciting to roleplay, yet your character lacks roots in the world, and a stake in the society, without such obligations. What matters to you, as a player, is the conflict your character encounters, the victories and defeats that make up his life. Your daimyo, your shinden, and Hachigoku in general of course do not care. What matters to them is your service, duty, and ability to stay out of trouble most of the time. Don't worry too much about what you do in terms of Season right now; that will be covered in Chapter 2.
Story
When you do get into trouble, that's when Stories happen. The Story is a the conflict the player characters encounter that's, well, fun. Even when it hurts. For samurai, especially when it hurts. If Story sounds like a pretentious term, feel free to think of it as an Adventure or Mission or Module. There are no hard and fast divisions. It's useful to think of a Story in Hachigoku as proceeding in three parts similar to the ritualized iaijutsu duel: Challenge, Focus, and Strike.
In the Challenge (in other games, you might call this the Hook or the Call), the characters are presented with a dilemma that requires their attention and tests their abilities (even if this is not obvious). Examples include:
Your daimyo orders you to investigate bandit attacks on some of his villages. He wants to know who's responsible, and wants them stopped.
The shinden is scheduled to receive a high ranking visitor, who is known to be hostile to their philosophy. The abbot wants you to escort them and make a good impression.
A murder has been committed in the city, and your lover was discovered standing over the body with a bloody tanto.
In the Focus, the Challenge takes on a new dimension as a wrinkle or unexpected complication occurs and puts the characters into conflict with what should be a simple matter. It's recommended that this complication spring from some intrinsic properties of the player (Disadvantages that make resolution
difficult or traditional uji and Discipline conflicts) or characters already present in the Story or foreshadowed. Completely external events could also provide the Focus, but should be appropriate. Thus, if you're investigating bandit attacks, the sudden appearance of oni would be jarring unless it was controlled by the bandits, or some force in conflict with the bandits. Examples include:
Once you arrive at the villages, you are attacked by the bandits. You quickly discover the “bandits” are ronin the peasants hired to protect themselves from the ruinous taxes of your daimyo.
You arrive at a rendezvous point to meet the visitor, who has been kidnapped by samurai from an uji he offended. It's clear their actions are in violation of law and honor, yet these samurai hand over documents indicating the victim already had the official papers to close down the shinden in his traveling pack.
After intense investigation, it becomes clear that your lover truly is the murderer, but she was blackmailed into the killing by your daimyo's enemy to disgrace the uji. Publicly shaming the enemy would require you to publicly shame and condemn your lover, too.
The Strike is the resolution of the conflict, a resolution that could end in various outcomes depending on the characters' values and views on Bushido. It is not necessarily a definitive end, as one Strike can easily lead to a new Challenge. What the Strike does essentially is represent the characters' answer to a question being posed by the Focus. Examples include:
Which is stronger, your loyalty to your daimyo (punishing the ronin and villages) or your compassion (figuring out a way to alleviate the taxes on the villages and letting the ronin go)? Which is stronger, your need to punish dishonor (freeing the captive), or protecting the shinden
at the cost of your honor (failing in your task by making the documents and witness “disappear”)?
Which is stronger, the personal loyalty to your lover (releasing her from punishment), or your desire for justice (holding her accountable to your daimyo's law and pursuing the enemy daimyo)?
Having each of these three elements (Challenge, Focus, and Strike) take up about one gaming session each tends to be effective; you can spend more or less time, certainly, or even adopt a completely different structure. It should begin and end within a single Season, although interconnected Stories can beneficially extend throughout the Seasons, eventually composing a large-scale Challenge-Focus-Strike epic. A Season should contain one or two Stories. There's no rule against doing more, but eventually people begin wondering why no harvest reports are being turned in, why you're never at your assigned guardpost, why the routine crimes under your authority are never being adjudicated, why you're chronically absent during scheduled prayers and meditation... And your players wonder if they are ever going to improve their character's attributes and abilities, since the benefits of training and Holdings usually occur at the end of the Season.
Scene
Past the large-scale time segments are the segments that occur in a single session. The most basic is the Scene. The Scene is the focus on what your characters are doing now, with a coherent set of circumstances, reasonably limited time-frame, and defined location. That sounds complicated and a bit fuzzy (what defines “reasonably”?), but I trust you to adjudicate what makes sense for everybody to stay engaged in the game. In other games, we might call this an Encounter. So, a single Scene could be the characters investigating the murder scene, fighting a skirmish outside a village, reporting to the daimyo, or arranging an ambush. A change of location then could signal the end of the Scene and beginning of another (your investigation of the murder scene concluded, you move to the home of the
suspect for apprehension), or even a considerable passing of “inconsequential” time (you spend a Scene planning and arranging an ambush, then spend hours waiting until the target arrives triggering a brand new Scene). A Scene becomes a useful measure of time to regulate effects and abilities that do not (or rather do not need to) function in set increments like minutes or hours. Actions can be taken in Scenes, but if another Action is taken in response (anything that might be construed as a Complex Action under the Skirmish rules) the game has moved from the Scene into an even more precise segment: Rounds & Phases.
Rounds & Phases
A Round is a unit of time measuring activities requiring swiftness and certainty, usually combat-related. A single Round is dived up into 10 Phases each, with a Phase being only an arbitrary tracking of Action order. Exactly how much real time a Round takes up is fluid; it may only take the traditional 6-second period most games take for granted, or it may take significantly longer, depending on what's happening. Generally speaking a Round should never be considered longer than a minute, and fierce combat is considerably shorter. The most honest answer is that Rounds, like Scenes, move at the speed of the plot, nor exclude extraneous action. While during a Round you might roll only a single attack roll, there are assumed to be other lunges, feints, dodges, footwork, etc. The Actions are the ones that matter, the ones that might succeed. Actions are, in short, opportunities. Your character does not simply stand there stock-still waiting for the right moment to wiggle a finger.
A Battle, it should be noted, can change the scale of Scenes and Rounds.
Dueling
Dueling over matters of honor, be it regarding justice, vengeance, bravery, or renown of skill, is a common occurrence in Hachigoku. The Dueling rules, it should be emphasized, reflect a variety of highly ritualized, culturally specific methods of competition. They do not necessarily reflect every duel. When two bushi square off, weapons drawn, ready to duel over a point of honor, this is no less legal or honorable than the revered iaijutsu duel described here, yet it follows the regular combat rules of Skirmishes, and not Dueling. Furthermore, except in the case of the Shiken and Correspondence, duels are always between two individuals. Any interference from outside these two disturbs the focus and purity of the duel, and play continues using whatever normal rules (combat, Skill, etc.) are required. A duel that happens in the middle of a battle, for instance, is almost never going to be an iaijutsu duel.
The Dueling rules consider each duel to be divided into three
general elements: Judgment, where evaluations of your opponent occur; Focusing, where an internal gathering of power shifts back and forth between you and your opponent; and the Strike, the moment of truth.
The Dueling rules cover these specific kinds of combat: the Iaijutsu (one-strike duel), the Sumai (sumai duel), the Taryu-jiai (shugenja duel), the Shiken (artistic duel), and Correspondence (the duel of letters).
Oh, and Romance. In Hachigoku, Romance is a duel as deadly as any other. Iaijutsu
When two duelists agree to an iaijutsu duel, each squares off against the other, wielding only katana. The Dueling rules for each variety may sound
repetitive. The point is you should be able to look up each kind of duel as an independent unit, in case of questions during play, and be able to quickly
adjudicate any conflicts, instead of hunting through the entire section for every dependent element.
Each katana is sheathed, the saya positioned for swift, deadly draw. One strike can mean victory. If the duel is one of skill, then the bout ends after a single strike. If the duel is to the first blood, then the duel ends after the first Wound is inflicted, and a regular skirmish ensues if neither strike successfully with their Iaijutsu rolls. The same rule applies if the duel is to the death.
Judgment: Each duelist makes an Iaijutsu/Awareness roll (TN 10). Success allows you to know one fact about your opponent. You can make Raises on this roll, each Raise granting you an additional known fact. Facts possible include:
Opponent's Iaijutsu Skill. Opponent's Void Ring. Opponent's Agility Trait. Opponent's Strength Trait. Opponent's Insight Rank.
Opponent's current Wound Penalties.
After this roll, either opponent may declare the other the winner. It is not cowardly; recognizing another's superiority without bloodshed is an honorable act. If the duel was to the first blood, the loser often gives themselves a Wound by their own katana. If the duel was to the death, seppuku by the loser would be called for. If both duelists disengage, the duel is over. If an opponent chooses not to disengage when the other has declared them victor already, it is considered a dishonorable act. If the duel continues, it's time to Focus.
Focus: The duelist with the highest Awareness roll in Judgment decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with a TN of 5. The chosen duelist decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other duelist has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one duelist calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When the duelist calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Iaijutsu/Agility (TN 5 + Focuses). If unsuccessful, or the opponent is still conscious and able to strike, the other duelist has their opportunity, making the same roll with the same TN, except figured removing the last Focus (which usually just means -5, but special abilities may alter that number). If this strike is also unsuccessful, or the duel is to the death, the duel may continue as a Skirmish.
If successful, roll for damage as normal, with a +Xk0 bonus, where X is the total number of Focuses. You can also make additional Raises for additional damage as normal, or for other effects. For instance, you could make 3 Raises for narrative embellishment: “I strike for no damage, but I slice the strings of his cotton pants, and they fall down.” Even if you do damage, you don't have to keep the highest dice, of course. This may be important to remember if the opponent is, say, your daimyo's heir.
Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate. Sumai
Sumai is an ancient art in Hachigoku, one where two competitors pit their strength and resiliency against each other. While this usually is a ritualized sport popular throughout the Empire, it does see occasional use between those who feel a duel of brute force is necessary to settle a matter of honor. Two duelists involved in a sumai bout are called sumatori.
Judgment: A circle is constructed, either on raised tatami mats with straw boundaries or simply drawn in the dirt, and usually measures 15' in diameter. This is the dohyou, where all true sumai bouts take place. A monk or shugenja is asked to officiate, although a shugenja is preferred. Each sumatori may make a Theology/Awareness roll (TN 15), calling on the aid of the kami and praying to banish any oni, gaki, or kansen nearby. The sumatori who succeeds with a higher roll than his opponent gains the Luck Advantage until the end of the bout. If both sumatori succeed on the roll, the circle and its immediate area acts as if the spell Evil Ward had been cast on it for no Raises. This effect lasts until one of three things occurs: the end of the bout, the death of one of the sumatori, or any one other than the two sumatori or the official enters the ring. These preliminaries can be dispensed with if the two sumatori are engaging in an impromptu duel.
The officiating priest announces the beginning of the bout. Each sumatori rolls their Awareness TN 10. Success allows the sumatori to know one fact about his opponent, and Raises can be made to know an additional fact about his opponent per Raise. Facts include:
Opponent's Sumai Skill. Opponent's Void Ring. Opponent's Strength Trait. Opponent's Reflexes Trait. Opponent's Insight Rank.
Opponent's current Wound Penalties.
At this point, one sumatori may realize clear superiority of the other, and bow out of the bout by stepping outside of the ring. Doing so is not seen as dishonorable, since avoiding unnecessary violence is commendable. The other sumatori is then considered the de facto victor.
Focus: Assuming both continue with the bout, the sumatori with the highest Awareness roll decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with a TN of 5. The chosen sumatori decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN to raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other sumatori has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one sumatori calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring Rank, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When the sumatori calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Sumai/Strength (TN 5 + Focuses). If successful his opponent is thrown or pushed out of the sumai ring. If unsuccessful, the sumatori who called for the Strike can make a Sumai/Reflexes roll with the same TN; success on this roll means he has dodged the charge and counterpushed his opponent out of the ring.
With either a successful attack or counterpush, damage is rolled as normal for barehanded damage, +Xk0, where X is the number of Focuses. Since most sumai bouts are for competition, it is considered dishonorable to intentionally inflict grievous harm upon your opponent, but not necessarily illegal. You lose 1 Honor Point every time you keep the highest damage die in sumai competition. If you kill an opponent on purpose in a bout, you are banned from official competition for life.
If both the initial attack and counterpush are unsuccessful, the match becomes a standard Skirmish combat using the Sumai Skill. Any moves other than the four Basic Forms of sumai are considered illegal and will disqualify the offending sumatori, though only the officiating priest may
make that call.
Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate. Taryu-jiai
The taryu-jiai is a ritual developed by shugenja over the centuries to test their magical might against each other. Each duelist draws on the energy of the kami in a raw torrent of power, then trying to visualize and channel the magic in a single strike against the opponent. Such duels can involve kami of different elements, or a single element, depending on the challenge. It is not just a matter of summoning and hurling raw energy, however. The shugenja must exhibit control over the energy, usually by sculpting the strike into the shape of a weapon, monster, or other form. One legendary duel involved a Kuni shugenja dropping a glowing mountain on a prideful Kitsu shugenja.
Before the duel begins, each shugenja must declare which element they will be using. They may use the same or different elements, depending on the nature of the challenge. All rolls made during the duel involve the Mental Trait of the appropriate element.
Very rare duels involving Void as an element do occur, although such rarely manifest any visual evidence except Wounds.
Judgment: Each duelist makes a Spellcraft/Awareness roll (TN 10). Success allows you to know one fact about your opponent. You can make Raises on this roll, each Raise granting you an additional known fact. Facts possible include:
Opponent's Spellcraft Skill. Opponent's Void Ring.
Opponent's Trait (whichever Trait is involved in the duel). Opponent's Insight Rank.
Opponent's current Wound Penalties.
After this roll, either opponent may declare the other the winner. It is not cowardly; to recognize another's superiority without bloodshed is an honorable act. If the duel was to the first blood, the loser often gives themselves a Wound. If the duel was to the death, seppuku by the loser would be called for. If both duelists disengage, the duel is over. If an opponent chooses not to disengage when the other has declared them victor already, it is considered a dishonorable act. If the duel continues, it's time to Focus.
Focus: The shugenja with the highest Awareness roll in Judgment decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Awareness, appropriate element-linked Mental Trait, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with a TN of 5. The chosen duelist decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other duelist has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one duelist calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to the element's Ring you are using, +1 Focus if its your Affinity, -1 Focus if its your Deficiency, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When the duelist calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Spellcraft/Mental Trait (TN 5 + Focuses). If unsuccessful, or the opponent is still conscious and able to strike, the other duelist has their opportunity, making the same roll with the same TN, except figured removing the last Focus (which usually just means -5, but special abilities may alter that number). If this strike is also unsuccessful, or the duel is to the death, the duel may continue, skipping
Judgment and moving straight to Focus.
If successful, you can describe the Strike, imbuing it with bonus effects equal to the number of Focuses. Also, you inflict Wounds. The damage roll breaks down as follows:
Ring Rank of Element (X): +Xk0 Number of Focuses (X): +Xk0 Insight Rank (X): +0kX Affinity in use: +0k1 Deficiency in use: -0k1
Any abilities that grant you bonuses to spellcasting rolls involving certain elements apply to both your Specllcraft and damage roll as appropriate. Additionally, you can still make more Raises on your Spellcraft roll for either bonus effects or increased damage, as normal.
If your Spellcraft roll is unsuccessful, you suffer a backlash of magical energy as the kami punish you for usurping control over them with pure willpower. Roll XkX, where X is the number of Focuses you claimed in your Spellcraft roll, for damage to yourself.
Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate. The Shiken
While accusations of dishonor or tests of skill often result in violence, during social functions teishin and artists frequently engage in competitions known as Shiken to settle disputes. While the Shiken may usually be a duel for glory and honor, those for blood or death are not unheard of. To lose such a duel and refuse to submit to death is incredibly dishonorable. Particularly loyal yojimbo often submit to the same punishment as well, reasoning that their charge's honor is their own.
Judgment: These contests are usually involve the Artisan, Performance, Games, or Oratory Skills. Whichever Skill is called for, both parties agree to use the same. The Skill used must be a High Skill, so using Emphases that require Low Skill treatment (like Seduction) is unacceptable at court. Like other duels, the contests are against two individuals, although rarely two groups can be involved instead. This usually occurs in the case of competing playwrights producing competing dramas. Since the immediate results of such duels are inherently subjective, a panel of judges is appointed. Tradition usually requires a triumvirate of neutral parties, but the ultimate decider is whatever daimyo rules the court where the Shiken happens. Unlike in other duels, there is no judging of another's Skill before the duel begins, although it might be wise to figure out their Glory before hand.
Focus: The duelist with the highest Awareness decides who Focuses or Strikes first. In the case of ties, the decider is the one with the highest Skill, Void, or Void Points, in that order. The Duel begins with TN 5. The chosen duelist decides whether to Focus or Strike. If Focusing, the TN for both opponents raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other duelist has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one duelist calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When the duelist calls for the Strike, his opponent has the opportunity to strike first. The foe rolls Skill/Awareness, since this is as much about impressing the judges as it is displaying technique. The TN is equal to 5 + Focuses. If unsuccessful, the other duelist need not make a roll; his skills are obviously superior. If the roll is successful, the other duelist must make the same roll with an equal TN. The higher of the two roll totals is the victor in the duel. The victor can embellish their effort with
bonus effects equal to the number of Focuses, just as if they were normal Raises. The loser can do the same, but only gains half the number of bonus effects, rounded up. A duelist who fails the roll entirely gains no bonus effects.
Of course, sometimes the judges have other agendas in mind, and the winner is the result of politics rather than skill. Judging in such a manner is an Act of Dishonor, however, even if the decisions are binding.
Both duelists gain Honor and Glory Points as appropriate. Correspondence
A correspondence duel, or a duel of letters as it is sometimes called, is an honored tradition in court. Openly arguing one's point or case in front of your daimyo is one thing—openly defying another in court is quite another. When samurai find themselves at odds in court, and in need of persuading third parties of an argument rather than simply satisfying justice and honor between them as individuals, open debate is out of the question. Inevitably, you would be contradicting a superior, or insulting your daimyo by implying he was not wise enough to heed proper counsel. It also implies a lack of subtlety, cleverness, and courtesy in the questioner.
A courtly tradition has evolved to circumvent these constraints. What in other cultures would be conducted with rhetoric and oral debates is instead channeled into finely crafted letters passed between correspondents. The art of using imagery to imply intent rather than stating it outright is highly praised, as it allows both parties an opportunity to save face if required.
Judgment: Either writer may engage the other in the duel. This requires no outside permission; on the contrary, the entire purpose of the duel of letters is engage in an otherwise outlandish activity in an honorable, unguarded moment. Each writer must make a Politics/Intelligence roll (TN 15) to establish the initial worth of their argument and judge the worth of the other's; Raises may be made for bonus effects as usual, including learning certain facts about the opponent. Each Raise allows the writer to know one of the following additional facts:
Opponent's Oratory Skill Rank. Opponent's Awareness Skill Rank. Opponent's Void Ring Rank. Opponent's Glory Rank.
Focus: Unlike most duels which happen quickly or within a defined timeframe, the duel of letters takes place over an extended scene as the correspondence of the two writers flows back and forth. Optionally, the initiating writer could even spend a Season Action to represent a duel of letters being engaged over the course of an entire Season. It's ramifications and rolls in this case do not take place until the Harvest phase.
Furthermore, the duel may not stay limited to just two participants. Letters written at court are hardly private. They are almost never sealed, and nearly anyone can stop a servant in the halls to read what they bear. In fact, it's expected. Letters communicate the writer's wit and guile to everyone; they do not communicate secrets. Such public disagreements become disseminated while appearing private. These other readers can choose to join in the duel, on one side or another. When doing so, the appropriate writer's roll becomes a Group roll, with themselves as the lead. No writer can have more additional proponents than their Glory Rank; while a slew of other writers may begin exchanging letters, only a few are going to be important, articulate, or invested enough to influence the course of the duel, or to be benefited or harmed by their engagement. The regular restriction concerning Group rolls applies as well; eloquent and intelligent allies mixed with those whose ability is less spectacular could drive down the potential benefits of aid. It's the risk taken in a correspondence duel.
The duel's TN begins at 5. After the initial exchange of letters and judgment, the writer with the highest Politics/Intelligence roll decided who Focuses or Strikes first. Each Focus raises the TN by +5, representing another letter carefully written, sent, and circulated, elaborating the writer's stance and arguments. Then the opponent has the option to Focus or Strike. After both writers have Focused, any other writer may join the duel, supporting one side or the other. Unlike the two primary writers, they cannot choose to Strike; they may only Focus, and only once before the opportunity to Focus or Strike returns to the initial writer. If both writers again choose to Focus, other writers can again choose to engage in the duel.
Focusing continues until one of the writers declares a Strike. No writer can Focus more times than he has Void Ring Ranks, although they can spend Void Points to Focus additional times (this cannot be done if using a Season Action to conduct the duel). Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When a writer chooses to Strike, both writers must make Oratory/Awareness rolls. If other writers have joined in, these may be Group rolls. The TN of the roll is 5 + Focuses (from all writers involved). Each writer may also gain a +Xk0 bonus to their rolls, where X is their Glory Rank.
The writer who succeeds against the TN and has the highest roll wins the debate. He gains Honor and Glory Points as normal for winning a duel; those who supported his side with Focuses likewise earn the same amount Glory Points. The writer with the lowest roll loses the appropriate amount of Honor and Glory points for losing a duel; those who Focused on their behalf also lose the same amount of Glory Points. If both writers failed against the TN, they are both considered to have lost the duel. All Honor and Glory Point losses apply, and the original decision stands, or the matter is considered inconsequential. In either case, bringing it up again this Season would be an Act of Vice. Romance
Love among samurai can be a perilous affair. Yet it occurs with disturbing frequency, as it exemplifies the virtues of Courtesy, Compassion, and even Courage. Samurai worth their honor cannot allow themselves to fear such a glorious passion as love, of course. Anymore than they can resist any other kind of opportunity for honor or glory, any other kind of duel. Thus, Romance becomes a competition where every lover is a fierce duelist.
Even if Romance invariably leads to Doom.
One Romance: You can only have one Romance active at a time, unless some ability says otherwise. And that's Romance, not marriage. Do not assume that in Hachigoku marriage, concubinage, or Romance are at all the same thing. You can certainly have a Romance with your spouse, but that's not necessarily so by any means.
Judgment: Romance begins with a flirtation, a test of wits meant to assess both the interest and worth of both parties. By engaging in some flirtatious banter, or even attempting an impressive use of a High Skill or Bugei Skill, one lover makes an advance. The other chooses whether to express interest and make their own advance. If they don't, that's the end of the Romance. It never gets off the ground. If they do, both lovers make an Awareness roll. The one with the highest roll can decide who Focuses first. If there's a tie, compare Awareness, Void, or Void Points, in that order.
Focus: Now that both lovers are interested, one lover (chosen by the winner of the Awareness roll) must choose to Focus. Each Focus represents an escalating flirtation, a back and forth game of teasing, endearments, poetry, compliments, small gifts. Feel free to get creative. This need not happen in a moment, but can actually extend the length of a Story before a lover calls a Strike, but no longer. The Romance TN begins at 5. If Focusing, the Romance TN raises by +5 (some special abilities may alter
the point value; consider each increment a separate Focus). Now the other lover has the opportunity to Focus or Strike. This continues back and forth until one lover calls for a Strike, each Focus raising the Romance TN. You can only Focus a number of times equal to your Void Ring Rank, or spend a Void Point for an additional Focus beyond that. Certain Skill, Advantage, or Okuden rules may allow you to Focus additional times as well.
Strike: When a lover calls for a Strike, the other lover makes a Sincerity/Awareness roll (TN 5 + Focuses). It's important to note that the Seduction Emphasis has no role here; such a seduction is a transactional affair, and has no place in starting a true Romance. If this roll fails, the Striking lover has their opportunity to make the roll with the same TN, except removing the last Focus (which usually just means -5, but special abilities may alter that number). If both lovers fail the roll, the Romance never begins. The interest may exist, but the chemistry is all wrong. Neither party may again attempt to initiate a Romance with the other until the Insight Ranks of both parties change.
The Favor: If either lover succeeds on their roll, the Romance has begun. The first lover to succeed holds the Favor. The Romance has become almost a skirmish between lovers, as each proves their love and garners a reward in turn. The lover holding Favor issues a challenge, tasks that begin as small things and progress: compliments, honorable favors (lessons, permissions, gifts, etc.), dangerous favors (dueling challenges, quests, etc.). The most passionate lovers may even request dishonorable favors. Assassinations. Poison. Betrayal. All for love.
Each time a lover completes a challenge, they gain the Favor in the form a reward. Like the challenges, the reward progresses from small things to more grand or intimate gestures: a smile, a compliment, a gift, a touch on the sleeve, a touch, a caress, a kiss, more...
The Romance Advantage: The Romance sparks, flames, peaks, then fades into ashes over time. The cycle of exchanging the Favor is integral to the life of the Romance, and the Romances strength is measured as an Advantage with Ranks (just like Traits or Skills); both lovers gain a single Romance Advantage, shared between them. The Romance Advantage has a pair of Ranks: Actual and Potential. The Potential Rank is the maximum strength of the Advantage, equal to the number of Focuses made during the duel. The Actual strength begins equal to the lowest Awareness Rank between the two lovers. As each Season passes, the Actual Rank increases by 1 Rank, as long as Favor has been exchanged. If Favor has not been exchanged at least once during the Season, the Actual Rank decreases by 1 Rank. While it is assumed Favor should be exchanged during a Story, a lover can spend a Season Action to determine the exchange occurs sometime during the Season, outside the Story. If the Favor is still exchanged during a Story after spending a Season Action, this merely means that an additional exchange has happened, but the Actual Rank does not increase by 2 Ranks, just the normal 1 Rank.
Once the Romance reaches its Potential maximum, its Actual Rank begins to fade at the rate of 1 Rank per Season, despite the ongoing exchange of Favors. If Favor fails to be exchanged, the Romance loses 2 Ranks that Season. Once a Romance reaches 0 Actual Ranks, it is finished and done. The ashes of Romance hold no power.
The Romance Advantage grants the lovers certain benefits:
Favor's Champion: Whenever the lover makes a roll directly involved in answering a challenge issued by their love, they can spend a Void Point to gain a +XkX bonus to the roll, where X is the Actual Rank of the Romance.
Heart's Knowledge: Whenever the lover makes a roll directly for or against their lover (such as defending or attacking them), they can spend a Void Point to gain a +XkX bonus to the roll, where X is the Actual Rank of the Romance.
is rolled, if necessary), the lover can spend a Void Point to push their way through the Scene to come to the defense. They take the Wounds on themselves, in full. Nothing stands in the lover's way. Not samurai. Not monsters, nor Fortunes. Nothing. Not even Honor.
The End of Romance: A Romance can end before it's time. There are two honorable ways to end a Romance: a lover can complete a challenge and ask for no Favor, signaling the Romance's end, or a lover can gain the Favor and then decline to issue a new challenge, signaling they lost interest in the Romance. At the end of the Season, the Romance Advantage vanishes.
There are, of course, other ways to end the Romance. Dangerous ways. Dishonorable ways. A lover could fail to complete a challenge, and earn a lover's scorn instead of forgiveness, or a lover could refuse Favor after a challenge's completion. Either of these could because of a whim or as revenge against some wrong. Or, a lover could invoke their love's Doom.
At any time during the Romance, the lover can shout “Doom!” whenever their love makes a roll. Whatever the result, it fails. Utterly. Spectacularly. If it's an opposed roll, the other highest roller gains the effect of Raises equal to the Romance's Potential Rank. The Romance is over.
If a Romance ends with in a dishonorable way, the Romance Advantage becomes the Heartbroken Disadvantage for the lover wronged, and the Heartbreaker Disadvantage for the vengeful lover.
The Heartbroken Disadvantage has Ranks equal to the original Romance's Potential. Every Season it loses a Rank as the heart's wound slowly heals, vanishing when it reaches 0 Ranks. While active, whenever the lover's heartbreak is present or mentioned by name the lover suffers a -Xk0 to all rolls for attempting actions. This lasts for the rest of the Scene, but can be negated for the entire Scene by spending a Void Point. In addition, the heartbreak can spend a Void Point to gain a +XkX bonus when making a roll directly against the lover (as in not being for the lover's benefit). In either case, X is equal to the Disadvantage's Rank. The lover can opt to spend a Season Action and replace the Disadvantage with the Lost Love Disadvantage permanently as they work through the pain and lessen the loss into a long, stable ache.
The Heartbreaker Disadvantage has no Ranks. Anyone making a roll involving a Romance with the heartbreaker gains a +2k2 dice. This includes during Judgment and Focusing, as well as when invoking the benefits of the Romance Advantage. All the benefits. Also, the heartbreaker's Glory becomes Infamy at the end of the Season as awareness of their indiscretion spreads through Hachigoku's courts.
The Glory of Romance: Does Romance gain the lovers Glory and Honor? Not directly. Engaging in Romance does grant Honor and Glory gains as usual for a duel in terms of challenges and victory, but not in terms of Favor. However, the activities that result from chasing and giving Favor often do produce Glory and Honor. Or more often cost Glory and Honor as duty to the Romance and duty to one's superior conflict. Because of the potential danger of Romance interfering with a samurai's duty, public revelation of the Romance loses each lover Honor and Glory Points equal to the Romance's Potential Rank. Yet, the temptation to announce one's passion is strong, and living in denial would be discourteous and cruel to the Romance. Thus, samurai often attempt to reveal their love through obscure comments or poems that are performed publicly to announce their involvement in a Romance, but veil the name of their lover. Doing so successfully is an Act of Virtue.
Liaison: Romance for samurai, it should be stressed, is not usually marriage. It is not usually sanctified, but merely tolerated. Up to a point. By the definition, adultery is engaging in activity that could produce an illegitimate heir. Until that line is crossed, Romance is relatively harmless as far as most samurai are concerned.
But once that line is crossed, it ceases being a Romance and becomes a Liaison. The Romance becomes a danger to a marriage. And thus a danger to your daimyo as marriage contracts stand in breach, or perhaps vows of celibacy have been violated. Most samurai understand this and end a Romance before it goes too far.
Most.
Others will risk anything to keep the passion alive. The Romance Advantage is replaced with the Liaison Advantage, if the Romance has reached its Potential already. There is only so much satisfaction to be gained from flirtation. The Liaison functions as a Romance for all intents and purposes—including ending it—except its Rank no longer decreases regardless of Favor or Seasons. As long as both lovers spend a Season Action and acquire a separate Shelter for their trysts, the Liaison continues to exist at its maximum potential. If this condition isn't met, the Liaison once again fades into being a Romance.
Just so we're clear: Sex. The two lovers are having sex. If this bothers your samurai, don't get involved in a Romance. Good luck with that.
Of course, being discovered in a Liaison is dangerous. So dangerous, it's definitely considered an Act of Vice if discovered. So dangerous, it could mean a duel of honor. A duel to the death. From the lover's spouse. From their family. From their daimyo.
Think of the children.
Skirmish
Dueling usually concerns two individuals; even its variants involving more competitors still depend on two primary actors. Often, though, competition and combat erupts between two or more individuals in ways that cannot be handled by the Dueling rules. A Skirmish breaks out. Typically this implies combat occurring during the Scene, but it doesn't preclude non-combat activity. Non-combat activity taking place without the pressures of combat, however, does not usually require bringing in the time management of being in a Skirmish. If it does, then treat the situation as a Skirmish.
There is a limit to a Skirmish, however. If fifty or more individuals are involved, the Skirmish becomes a Battle instead. Then you need to refer to the Battle rules.
Initiative
At the start of each Skirmish round, you roll dice equal to your Void Ring, plus any additional bonus dice. These are Action Dice, and they DO NOT explode and you DO NOT add them together. The numbers shown on the Action Dice are the Phases in which you will be able to act. If you roll the same number on multiple Action Dice, you will be able to act more than once in that Phase.
Next, the GM will begin to count up from Phase 1, until he reaches Phase 10. When he calls a Phase in which you are able to act, you may do one of 2 things with each Action Die showing the current Phase:
Spend the Action Die in order to perform an Action. Spent Action Dice are gone, and no longer affect play.
Leave the Action Die where it is, making it a Held Action. Once you’ve held an Action, it remains on the table, and is considered to match any later Phase called. The Action Die itself, however, does not change, which is important when figuring an Initiative Total.
When the GM reaches Phase 10, everyone must use their remaining Action Dice or lose them. Once all Action Dice are spent or forfeited, the round is over, a new round begins, and the process is repeated.
Action Dice (including the one he wants to spend, but not any Action Dice that have been spent; they’re long gone). This total is his Initiative Total. The character with the highest Initiative Total can act first. If there is a tie, the character with the highest Air Ring goes first. If there is still a tie, both act simultaneously.
If you really, really need an Action now (such as to defend yourself) but have no Action Dice in the current Phase nor any Held Actions, you can use an Interrupt Action. You exchange any 2 Action Dice showing a later Phase for 1 Action Die showing the current Phase. You must declare your intention to use an Interrupt Action at the beginning of the Phase, before anyone else has acted, and must still compare Initiative Totals. You can declare an Interrupt Action for an Active Defense, however, even after the beginning of the Phase and regardless of Initiative Total. You cannot use an Interrupt Action to make an attack.
Ambushes: Given sufficient time (at the GM’s discretion), you can set up an ambush using the Stealth Skill (see the Stealth Skill for more information). Detecting an ambush uses an opposed Investigation/Perception roll, just as if you had tried to sneak up on someone using Stealth. Setting up an ambush must occur outside a normal combat round; once you are in a combat round, you must use Stealth (Sneaking) to catch a foe unawares. Those who fail to detect an ambush suffer from a surprise round once it is triggered.
When an ambush is triggered: A skirmish ensues.
The first round is a “surprise round.” Only those who detected the ambush or who are one of the ambushers can roll for Initiative and take Actions.
Those “ambushed,” while unable to take Actions, are not “unaware,” meaning their TN to be Hit does not lower to 5 automatically.
Those ambushed can still spend a Void Point to take an Action as normal, although it must still be a non-attack Action as normal.
Actions
When you spend an Action Die, you can move, perform a simple action, a complex action, cast a spell, attack, use a Full Attack, use a Full Defense, or use an Active Defense.
Move: You can normally move a distance equal to your Water Ring x 5’ per Action, or twice that if you’re running. You can perform a simple action on your Action and still move, but not run. If mounted, you use the mount’s Water Ring to determine distance, and can move and perform an attack or cast a spell as well, as long as the mount is not galloping. If you are prone, you can move to stand up, spending your Action, or even crawl at half your normal speed. Climbing or
otherwise moving up a height level (usually measured at 10’ intervals) also costs an Action. You can drop down more than one level in an Action, but will take falling damage doing so. Falling has a DR of XkX, where X equals every 10
Simple Action: Simple actions are just that: simple. Anything that can be performed with no risk or Skill roll is a simple action. This includes drawing or sheathing a weapon, falling to the ground, taking out or putting away a spell scroll, opening a door, tossing an item to a nearby comrade, etc.
Complex Action: A complex action is one that requires a Skill roll or otherwise requires care and precision. Sending a signal using your tessen across the battlefield is a complex action, because it
Falling has a DR (Damage Rating) of XkX, where X is equal to every 10' fallen (round down). Thus, a fall of 30' has DR 3k3.
requires a Battle Skill roll. Picking up a fragile glass statue and putting it in your pack is also complex action; it requires no roll (unless the GM is feeling REALLY sadistic), but does require a certain level of attention.
Cast a Spell: This is covered fully under the Spells section of Chapter 6: Shugenja. Usually, it takes a number of Actions equal to the Mastery Level of the spell to cast it successfully, although Raises can reduce this time. Any use of an Action Die before the completion of the spell wastes any Actions already spent casting it, even Held or Interrupt Actions.
Attack: You can make an attack against an enemy. You may attack once per Action, unless a Technique or other ability gives you more attacks per Action. Reloading a ranged weapon, as long as it is light (like a bow or a sling) can be combined with the attack itself, although it would normally be a simple action. When making an attack, you roll your Skill (usually a Bujutsu Skill)/Trait (usually Agility for melee attacks or Reflexes for ranged attacks) against the opponent’s TN to be Hit. You can use a variety of maneuvers when making an attack, described further on. When making damage rolls, each weapon has a Damage Rating (DR). You add your Strength in unkept dice to the DR when rolling damage for melee weapons. When making ranged attacks with a bow, you add your Strength or the bow’s Strength (whichever is lower) in unkept dice to the DR of the arrow being used. If making an unarmed attack, the DR is 0k1, and you add your Strength in unkept dice.
Full Attack: You attack your enemy with full abandon, caring little for your own safety. You can attack as normal, and gain 3 Free Raises, which can only be used for increased damage, on all melee attack rolls until your next Action. Until then, all opponents gain 3 Free Raises on their attack rolls against you as well, to spend however they wish.
Full Defense: You dedicate yourself to doing nothing but defending yourself. You use the Defense Skill to increase your TN to be Hit until your next Action. For more information, see the Defense Skill in the Skills section. If you can move without losing your Full Defense bonus, you can move and perform a Full Defense on the same Action, but not run.
Active Defense: While Full Defense is an ongoing concern, an Active Defense is an emergency action for when the opponent otherwise would have hit you. First, you spend an Action Die showing this Phase (you can use Held or Interrupt Actions as well). Then you make a contested roll to dodge the attack, using his attack roll as an opposing roll. You use your Defense (Dodge)/Reflexes (although Okuden, weapons, other Skills, etc. may allow you to use different Skill/Trait rolls). If you are successful, the attack fails. If you fail, the attack succeeds and the opponent rolls damage as normal. This is usually only usable against melee attacks, but some abilities may allow it to be used against ranged attacks. You can also attempt an Active Defense when prone, although you then suffer a +20 TN penalty. You can use a variety of maneuvers when making an Active Defense, described further on. Attack Maneuvers
Generally speaking, there are a variety of different maneuvers and effects you can accomplish during a Skirmish simply by making Raises and using Bonus Effects to take narrative control of the situation. However, the limitation that a Bonus Effect cannot replace a roll still stands. Some spectacular effects (maneuvers) do require rolls; assume anything else can be accomplished with Bonus Effects, at the GM's discretion.
Beheading: The Highlander maneuver. You must make 4 Raises specifically for this maneuver and use an appropriate weapon. You cannot use Free Raises for a Beheading. If you hit successfully, you must
