Legend of the Five Rings/temp
Legend of the Five Rings is a Game set in Rokugan, a land of heroic samurai, mystical shugenja, and fearsome creatures from the Shadowlands. It's VERY loosely based on medieval Japan, with elements of high fantasy and gritty horror and would probably drive any real Japanese up the wall.
This is some initial information AbOUT the great clans and common character archetypes available in the game. It applies to the 2nd EDition rules and I'm still deciding whether to use 2nd or 3rd edition, so don't take the crunchy rules bits too literally just yet.
Your character can belong to one of the 7 great clans (or be a filthy ronin if you really must). These are Crab, Crane, Dragon, Lion, Phoenix, Scorpion or Unicorn. Choose your clan, family, and school within the clan. Note: you can belong to a school that is does not have your families name. You can even belong to a school from another clan (e.g. you were an exchange student).
If you want a point of reference for the limited bonuses I've listed below each trait ranges from 1 to 5. Honor, also ranges from 1 to 5.
As an aside, each clan was founded by one of the sons or daughters of the Sun and Moon (for real). Their brother, Hantei, became the first emperor of the Emerald Empire. The remaining member of the family, Fu Leng, fell into the festering pit of the Shadowlands and became a blight on all of the Empire.
Clans
Crab
For 1000 years the Crab Clan has performed its duty of guarding the Emerald Empire against the horrors of the Shadowlands. Its samurai are among the most highly trained in Rokugan. Their schools teach the ways that a small army can defeat a larger one, for when the Shadowlands assault the fortresses of the Crab, their samurai are out numbered at least 3 to 1.
Although very powerful, and with a strong support base for raising troops, the Crab are not known for their political prowess. Their lack of diplomats has provided the other clans with an edge against the Crab, and the Crab suffer when weapons of diplomacy are used. "There are no lies between allies on a battlefield" is an old saying that every Crab samurai knows and understands. They carry this philosophy into the battlefield and into court, and are quick to demonstrate a flash of hot temper when they feel they are being lied to. The Crab view the political situation in simple terms. The strong have more right to rule than the weak. Those who cannot protect the empire do not deserve to rule it.
Families: Hida (benefit +1 strength): The Hida represent the best and worst of the Crab. They plan military tactics, lead its armies and coordinate its defense. They are unquestioned leaders. They enter battle with a controlled fury and resist assaults which would topple mountains. They tend to shout when they speak and use their large frames to intimidate those around them. Kuni (benefit +1 intelligence): The Kuni represent some of the most feared sorcerers in Rokugan. Yasuki (benefit +1 awareness): The Yasuki are the Crab Clan's link to the other clans. They are the politicians and merchants. Their traders are amongst the best in the empire and they have amassed a huge network of merchants surpassed only by the Crane.. Smuggling is also a favorite profession.
Schools: Hida Bushi: +1 stamina, 1.5 honor. School special abilities concentrate on the ability to sustain huge amounts of damage without ill affect and To Inflict similar amounts of damage on your opponents. The preferred weapon of this school is the tetsubo (a large spiked club). Kuni Shugenja: +1 will, 1.5 honor. Focuses on Earth magic. Yaksuki Task Master: +1 will, 1 honor. School special abilities concentrate on intimidation. Hiruma Scout: +1 perception, 2 honor. Specialize in defense, speed and stealth.
Crane
For centuries the Crane have used political maneuvering to gain its position as advisors to the Emperor. When the first Hantei needed a bride, there was a host of beautiful Crane girls for him to consider. Every generation of Hantei has been married to a Crane. Hantei is not the only one. Generations of Cranes have made their way into the dynasties of other clans, thus providing the Crane clan with sympathy in each and every clan. Because the mother of every Emperor has been Crane, the clan has been granted great advantages. They are able to call upon favors on nearly every occasion from nearly every clan.
The Crane clan also attracted the finest swordsmen in the Empire to its dojo to train the Crane samurai in kenjutsu, and now the Kakita school is the pre-eminent fencing school in Rokugan. Attending the school is one of the greatest honors a samurai can receive.
Families:
Doji (benefit +1 awareness): The most well known family of the Crane. Their courtiers are scene in the Imperial Court and a Doji has always been the mother of the Emperor. Their contributions throughout the course of history have shaped civilization in Rokugan, building the essential ceremonies and protocols that allow the political system to be successful.
Kakita (benefit +1 agility): The history of the Kakita family begins with its most honorable progenitor, Kakita. Kakita was the first true iaijutsu duelist, and his style became the famed Kakita Iaijutsu school. Iaijutsu demands patience, practice and dedication, and the Kakita Duelling Academy if the finest school of swordsmanship in the empire.
Asahina (benefit +1 perception): The shugenja of the Asahina are peaceful and introspective. They have a love of creating things. Their heritage is from the Isawa family (of the Phoenix) and the Kakita. The Asahina school focuses on the creation of talismans and charms. It specializes in air magic.
Schools:
Kakita Bushi: +1 reflexes, 3.5 honor. Specializes in Iaijutsu and first strike.
Asahina Shugenja: +1 awareness, 3.5 honor. Specializes in air magic.
Doji Magistrate: specialize in perception and in carrying out "justice".
Daidoji Bodyguard: +1 agility, 2.5 honor. Specialize in defense and using your opponents actions against them.
Dragon
There is little that can be said with certainty about the Dragon. They were founded over 1000 years ago, when the kami known as Togashi retired to the mountains and built a monastery there. There he remained for many years. It wasn't until two samurai joined him in his temple that his clan was actually formed. Since then the remainder of what is known is only speculation.
There are rumored to be many secret orders in the clan. One, the Ize Zumi, has gained great recognition. Their practice of tattooing their entire bodies with elaborate designs is better known than understood. Their shugenja are equally mysterious.
The Dragon clan was also the first clan to teach the "two sword technique". The Dragon are famous for their katana + wakizashi style. While the Kakita may moch it, they do so out of concern for their school rather than a disrespect for the style.
The Dragon remain in their cold, forbidding mountains, keeping their secrets to themselves. They rarely travel outside of their lands, and when one is seen, it is treated by the peasantry as a sign of changing times and omens.
Families:
Togashi (benefit +1 agility): This family consists of Togashi Yokunis students - those who have risked their lives to find him and have proven themselves worthy of his attention. These powerful individuals shave their heads and join a monastic order called the Ize Zumi. In doing so they leave behind their former lives, family and affiliations. They are adopted into the Togashi family.
Mirumoto (benefit +1 to one trait): The Mirumoto family are often known for their adaptability to any situation. Their history begins with Togashi's yojimbo (bodyguard). While he was a cunning tactician, he is also remembered for being a brilliant duelist. His unique style utilized both blades.
Agasha (benefit +1 awareness): It is said the Ahasha understand very little about Shintao, but their skills at spellcasting are impeccable, especially with regard to fire.
Schools:
Miruomoto Bushi: +1 any trait, 2.5 honor: specialize in the two sword technique.
Agasha Shugenja: +1 any trait, 2.5 honor: specialize in fire magic.
Miromoto Swordmaster school: +1 agility, 3 honor: specialize in dueling.
Ize Zumi: weird magical tattoos and stuff.
Kitsuki Magistrate: +1 perception, 2.5 honor. Specialized in investigation and observation.
Lion
The Lion was founded by Akodo, child of the Moon and the Sun. When the kami fell, the number of men and women in Rokugan was small, and the 7 kami searched among them for the finest. Shiba chose the wisest, Hida the strongest, and so on, but Akodo stood alone. "I do not look for men to follow me," he said. "I look for men worthy to stand by my side."
The Lion clan are the traditional defenders of the Emerald Throne. A Lion is quick to judge, quick to take insult and never takes insult lightly. For 1000 years the Lion clan has held the largest standing army in Rokugan, giving them battle prowess beyond any other clan in the empire.
From the time of the 1st Hantei, the Lion have stood at the side of the Emerald Throne, leading the Emperor's armies and serving as his advisors in matters of honor and warfare. They are the right hand of the Emperor: to defy them is to invite the wrath of the Heavens. The Lion are courageous and honorable and deeply respect the ways and traditions of the past. To them, honor is everything, and a Lion Samurai would gladly give their life willingly for the Emperor and the Empire.
Families:
Matsu (benefit +1 strength): The other families do not dispute the Matsu's natural leadership in battle. Matsu are hot tempered, emotional, strong willed, and intractable. They are also courageous, dedicated, loyal and fierce. The Matsu believe that the purity of a samurais spirit is as powerful a weapon as the sharpness of his blade. They are highly reverent of their ancestors, believing they will guide the samurai's actions if he is worthy, diligent and filled with noble spirit.
Kitsu (benefit +1 awareness): The Kitsu is one of the most unusual shugenja families in the Empire, and the only school that prohibits entrance to non-Lion clan members. They are spiritualists, concerned with the ancestors and the lands beyond death.
Ikoma (benefit +1 intelligence): To the Empire, the Ikoma are the historians. They are also fierce warriors, bold tacticians and deadly foes. Because of their interest in the accurate recording of history, they often see difficulties with a judicious eye, learning from each incident rather than treating it as a loss.
Schools:
Lion Bushi: +1 agility, 3.5 honor: school specializes in precision attacks (e.g. called shots).
Kitsu shugenja: +1 perception, 3.5 honor: specializes in water magic.
Ikoma tactical school: +1 perception, 3/5 honor: specializes in leadership in battle.
Matsu Bushi: +1 reflexes, 3.5 honor: specialize in going berserk.
Phoenix
The Phoenix clan are the most sorcerous clan in the Empire, using their vast knowledge of magic and spellcraft to dominate their lands and call forth the enchantments that lie dormant in the Empire. Their utility with the 5 elements in legendary; their mastery of magic even more so.
Of all the other clans, the Phoenix are the least militant. They prefer peace over warfare and enter battle only if forced to do so. A Phoenix shugenja will always look for the peaceful solution first. A Phoenix samurai on the other hand, is willing to kill and die in defense of his people. While the other clans view the Phoenix as reluctant to fight this is only half true; The samurai are willing to fight, the shugenja are difficult to convince.
Families:
Isawa (+1 awareness): Of the noble Phoenix families the Isawa are the most prominent. For 100s of years, the clan has been shaped by the will of the Council of Elemental Masters, the most powerful shugenja in the Empire. For the Isawa, to be a shugenja is to become one with the greatest powers in the universe.
Shiba (+1 intelligence): The Shiba occupy a curious position in the scheme of things. They are descendants of Kami, with the blood of gods
flowing through their veins, yet they remain subordinate to the mortal Isawa family. They are the warriors in a clan of peace.
Schools:
Shiba Bushi: +1 reflexes, 2.5 honor: specialize in some weird [...] (best as I can describe it).
Isawa Shugenja: +1 void, 2.5 honor: can specialize in any elemental form of magic.
Shiba Yojimbo: +1 willpower, 2.5 honor: specialize in defense.
Isawa Tensai: +1 in trait of their chosen element, 3 honor: super-specialized shugenja. Can be extremely powerful in their chosen element. They are however weaker than other shugenja in other elements.
Scorpion
If there is something you do now wish to be known, there is a Scorpion somewhere who knows it. The Scorpion have never had the strongest samurai or the most skilled shugenja and so they made up for the difference with secrets. You never know if a Scorpion is telling you the truth, or a lie, because he can gain an advantage with either one. In a society that values sincerity over honesty, none can ever fully understand the machinations of the Scorpion. Scorpion have traditionally worn masks. Each mask is unique to the individual, but the intent is the same. The mask is telling the world, "You cannot trust me."
Families:
Bayushi (benefit +1 agility): It can be said the Bayushi have more secrets than fish have scales and that they guard them as tightly as pearls in the ocean. Wild tales of ninja, poisons, shadow magic and conspiracy are at the heart of rumors spread about this devious family, and although the stories are generally regarded as peasant superstition, many samurai refuse to deal with a known Scorpion, for fear of discovering that which they did now wish to learn.
Shosuro (benefit +1 awareness): The Shosuro are the eyes and ears of the clan. They are excellent actors and masters of disguise and
infiltration. They can be anywhere, anytime.
Soshi (benefit +1 perception): The shugenja of the Scorpion clan almost always train at the Soshi school which has a sinister reputation throughout the Empire. For many centuries the Scorpion have experimented with a peculiar magic... shadow magic. As other shugenja tap the 5 elements, the Soshi tap into the raw shadow, turning darkness into their strength.
Schools:
Bayushi Bushi: +1 intelligence, 1.5 honor: specialize in deception.
Soshi Shugenja: +1 awareness, 1.5 honor: Specialize in air magic.
Bayushi Saboteur: +1 int, 1.5 honor: specialize in stealth and blowing things up.
Ninja: don't exist. Ask anyone.
Shosuro Butei: +1 awareness, 1.5 honor: The Scorpion "acting" school. Skilled at disguise, imitation.
Unicorn
When Hantei first took the Emerald throne , he commanded his sister Shinjo and those who would follow her to go out into the world and explore. She was to bring back news of what was on the other side of the mountains to the north of the Empire. With 3 other samurai, Otaku, Iuchi and Ide, they together went into the unexplored realms. They did not return for 800 years.
200 years ago the descendants of the 4 returned with mighty horses (the native horses of Rokugan are much like ponies) and a way of combat very different from that of the other clans. Everything about them was different, their dress, their style of speech and tactics were all learned from different cultures.
Now that they have returned the descendants of Shinjo have found it very difficult to fit in with the other clans. 8 centuries of positioning have created a delicate balance between them and the arrival of a new clan caused much friction. Being inexperienced in the nuances of Rokugan society they found it difficult to fit in. Some see them as uneducated youths while others see them as uncouth barbarians.
The one thing the other clans agree on is the power of their horses. The overwhelming advantage of Unicorn cavalry in an army is one factor that cannot be overlooked. The Unicorn have picked up on this and use it to their advantage. The Crane has treated the Unicorn with respect, and so their borders are patrolled by Unicorn cavalry.
Families:
Shinjo: +1 reflexes: Shinjo has honorable, personable yet aggressive. Shinjo are not generally hot-headed, but it is easy to think them so. Long years in strange lands have taught them to take action. Faced with an insoluble position, a Shinjo will do something, anything, instead of sitting and endlessly pondering. Further, when he takes action, he takes it wholeheartedly, without reservation or delay.
Oatku: +1 agility: The Otaku are the most prominent Unicorn family, earning their reputation through their swiftness and reckless bravery. They are a family ruled by women, only battle maidens can ride the famous Otaku steeds.
Iuchi: +1 awareness: Iuchi shugenja are more open-minded and willing to experiment than the shugenja of other clans.
Schools:
Shinjo Bushi: +1 strength, 2.5 honor: specialize in horsemanship and "weird" fighting moves... like parrying!
Iuchi shugenja: +1 perception, 2.5 honor: water specialists.
Shinjo Scout: +1 perception, 2.5 honor. Specialize in movement, stealth and defense.
Otaku Battlemaiden: +1 reflexes, 3.5 honor: specialized at mounted combat, and speed.