Think on that.
For the Mirumoto, I know broadly what I want: The Inkyo Kenshi. A swordsman who indulges in kiho use. However, I have yet to contemplate how I'm going to handle kiho and gakusho in particular, so until I write that chapter the Mirumoto will have to wait. Even if I think of something else, I'd rather save it for Phase 2.
I had a general though for the Advanced Dsiciplines: Be specific in setting origin, but not in mechanic origin. So no Advanced Discipline is specific to a single Basic Discipline, just convenient. There are may be more Bayushi-trained Honor's Lesson Tacticians out there, but don't be surprised to find others, particularly Akodo, Hida, or Shinjo. The same could be said for any of them.
Thoughts on the ones I did complete a draft of:
Akodo: They look really strange, don't they? And I worry the extra stuff I slipped in is overpowering for the broad Okuden base they already have. But overall it fits the flavor. Which of course you don't have yet, so here's the vague picture:
At Seven Thunders Seido, a loose order of bushi who revere the original Thunders and hope to emulate their adherence to Bushido and status as heroes congregates. They came singly and slowly over the centuries, vowing to embrace all the ryuu as a unified philosophy. Those who submit themselves to the rigors of both martial and spiritual training by the monks must be chosen by another Disciple, after a period of fasting and meditation. They believe they practice other Okuden by opening themselves up to the guidance of the original Thunders. Their numbers are increasing as Akodo Toturi announced official support after his ascension to daimyo.
Bayushi: I wanted something that would point out how good a cunning general trained by the Bayushi could be. I pictured George Washington. A general who, frankly, wasn't all that great a genius, but was brilliant in conceiving just what a ragtag Continental Congress Army could accomplish, not by winning, but by taking the field and not losing. It was a tricky feat, and he excelled.
Hida: No big surprise there. I tweaked the Defender of the Wall (or the Crab Avenger, as I fondly recall).
Kakita: The Kakita are great duelists and one-on-one fighters because of their speed. But their "one strike" philosophy takes a beating from multiple opponents. And overall I wanted someone to take advantage of Yowamushi rules and decimate them. I picture them as Tai Chi swordsman, flowing through complex moves meant to constantly defend and attack hordes of enemies.
Shinjo: I was having a hard time coming up with something at first. How many ways can you really ride a horse? I thought of using the old Unicorn Magistrate, but there will be plenty of magistrates running around. I though of converting old schools, like the Battle Maiden (but decided they were better as a Path for Phase 2) or the Moto (but decided they have enough uniqueness to justify being their own Discipline in Phase 2). Then I ran across the White Guard. YES. I meshed it with the original Moto School, and I like these crazy religious fanatics wandering around and hoping to wipe out the Dark Moto one day. Lot of potential there.
Akodo Bushi Ryuu
Advanced Discipline: Disciple of Thunder
Uji/Profession: Bushi
Requirements:
Ring: Void 5
Skills: Bajutsu 5, Battle 5, Iaijutsu 5, Kenjutsu 5, Lore 7
Other: You must already know one of the following Okuden: Way of the Crab, Way of the Crane, Way of the Dragon, Way of the Kiirin, Way of the Lion, Way of the Scorpion, or Way of the Phoenix.
Okuden
Rank 1, The Call of Thunder: Your communion with the souls of original Seven Thunders provides you with insight into the different bushi styles famous throughout Hachigoku. Choose two of the following Okuden from another Bushi Discipline that you have not already learned: Way of the Crab, Way of the Crane, Way of the Dragon, Way of the Kiirin, Way of the Lion, Way of the Scorpion, or Way of the Phoenix. By spending a Void Point, you can use one of those two Okuden for the rest of the Scene. You cannot use more than one such Okuden granted by this Discipline at a time; if you activate a second during the Scene, you lose all benefits from the first.
Rank 2: The Strength of Thunder: Your penetration into the mysteries of the Seven Thunders continues. You choose two more Okuden from the list provided in Rank 1 that you can invoke. When you invoke these Okuden by spending Void Points, you can now maintain two at a time, taking whatever benefits are most advantageous.
Rank 3, Thunder Calls to Thunder: You can now awaken the Thunder in other bushi. You choose two more Okuden from the list provided in Rank 1 that you can invoke. By spending a Void Point, you can target another bushi who can now use any Rank 1 Bushi Okuden you know for the rest of the Scene. You cannot target the same bushi twice in a Scene.
Bayushi Bushi Ryuu
Advanced
Discipline: Honor's Lesson Tactician
Uji/Profession:
Bushi
Requirements:
Traits/Rings:
Intelligence 5, Water 4
Skills:
Battle 4, Sincerity 7
Qualities:
Scorpion's Touch, Tactician
Other: Must
have a Glory Rank of 3 or more, and be on good terms with the Bayushi
uji.
Okuden
Rank 1, The
Better Part of Valor: After reading the original Akodo's Leadership,
you understand the role guile plays in warfare, and that victory goes
to the cunning, not the glorious. When making any Battle Skill roll,
you can use your Sincerity in place of Battle. You can still benefit
from Battle Emphases and Mastery Abilities according to your Battle
Rank. During a Wave, you can cancel any Battle Action targeting you
by spending a Glory Point.
Rank 2,
Bayushi's Wager: Deception in war is everpresent; even a crushing
defeat can lay the groundwork for later victory. During a Battle, you
can spend 2 Glory Points when making a Skill roll to use your
Sincerity in place of the actual Skill; you can still access Emphases
and Mastery Abilities of the original Skill, though. When rolling for
Wounds at the end of a Wave, you may target your force and a number
of larger forces up to your Discipline Rank. All forces double the
number of dice they roll and keep for Wounds.
Rank 3, Fog
of War: The terrain is yours to choose. By spending 3 Glory Points at
the beginning of a Battle, you automatically gain the Advantage bonus
for the terrain, even if you lose the Advantage of Strategy. During a
Wave, you can now cancel any Battle Action targeting anyone in your
force by spending a Glory Point.
Hida Bushi Ryuu
Advanced
Discipline: Defender of the Wall
Uji/Profession:
Bushi
Requirements:
Rings: Earth
4, Water 3
Skills:
Battle 5, Defense 5, Shadowlands Lore 5, any two Bujutsu skills at 4
Advantage:
Strength of the Earth
Other:
Candidate must enter the Shadowlands and return with the head of an
oni, ogre, or any Shadowlands beast no smaller than a man.
Okuden
Rank 1, Soul
of Jade: Any creature that bears the Taint has earned your wrath. Any
creature with the Shadowlands Taint rolling damage against you does
not have their 10's explode, and you gain a +1k1 bonus all damage
rolls if you are aware of the Taint.
Rank 2, Be the Wall: The spirit of the Kaiu Kabe infuses your flesh. You add your Earth x 2 to your TN to be Hit at all times. Also, when you spend an Action to make an attack against a target you are aware has the Taint, you can also make an additional attack against the same target. If you have an Okuden that already gives you two or more attacks when spending a single Action, you can make two additional attacks against the same target.
Rank 2, Be the Wall: The spirit of the Kaiu Kabe infuses your flesh. You add your Earth x 2 to your TN to be Hit at all times. Also, when you spend an Action to make an attack against a target you are aware has the Taint, you can also make an additional attack against the same target. If you have an Okuden that already gives you two or more attacks when spending a single Action, you can make two additional attacks against the same target.
Rank 3,
Hida's Final Lesson: You gain a supernatural level of toughness. You
gain Carapace equal to your Earth, and generate Fear equal to your
Earth that affects only those with the Shadowlands Taint.
Kakita Bushi Ryuu
Advanced
Discipline: Sword Dancer
Uji/Profession:
Bushi
Requirements:
Traits/Rings:
Agility 4, Reflexes 4, Water 3
Skills:
Athletics (Acrobatics) 4, Iaijutsu 6, Performance (Dance) 4, any
Karate Skill 5
Okuden
Rank 1,
Stepping Between the Notes: You listen to the rhythm of combat and
slip away in the notes your enemies do not hear. When wielding any
sword, you reduce the maximum number of human-sized opponents who can
attack you at once (normally six) by your Discipline Rank, gain Free
Raises to attack any Yowamushi equal to your Discipline Rank, and add
your Performance to your TN to be Hit.
Rank 2,
Melody of the Blade: Your steel moves to a melody all its own,
dancing from one target to the next. As long as you are not
immobilized, you have the Highest Initiative Total in any Phase. You
can use Performance (Dance) as an Active Defense; if you use it
successfully to dodge an attack and are wielding a sword, you may
spend a Void Point and immediately attack a foe within melee range,
but not the original attacker, without spending an Action.
Rank 3, The
Song Remains: You no longer need the blade in your hand to dance with
death. You can use all of this Discipline's Okuden benefits and
abilities even if you are unarmed. You can now spend Interrupt
Actions to make attacks either with a sword or unarmed, and can move
up to 10' after any successful attack without spending an Action.
Shinjo Bushi Ryuu
Advanced
Discipline: White Rider
Uji/Profession:
Bushi
Requirements:
Traits/Rings:
Strength 4, Agility 4, Willpower 5
Skills:
Bajutsu 4, Theology (Shi-Tien Yen-Wang) 5, any two Bujutsu Skills 5
Advantages:
Combat Reflexes, Death Trance
Other: You
must swear your soul, but not necessarily your fealty, to the
Shi-Tien Yen-Wang. You must have an Honor of 3 or more.
Okuden
Rank 1, Pale
Face of Death: The White Riders march into battle with their faces
painted deathly white, in honor of the Lords of Death who bless their
might. You may spend both a Void Point and an Action to make a Full
Attack, producing Fear equal to your Theology until your next Action.
Also, you are gifted with a Fine Quality steed who possesses the
Death Trance Quality.
Rank 2,
Blessings from the Book of Iron: Your faith in the Shi-Tien Yen-Wang is
your sword and armor. You add your Theology to all attack and damage
roll totals, and to your TN to be Hit at all times.
Rank 3,
Vengeance of the Shie-Tien Yen-Wang: The Shi-Tien Yen-Wang grant you
victory even in death. When you roll for the Advantage of Heaven in a
Battle, you can spend a Void Point to automatically gain the
Advantage, as if you won the roll with Free Raises equal to your
Honor. When you die, being reduced to Dead, a pure light envelops
your body and destroys it utterly. All those within 5' x your Honor
take Wounds equal to your total Wounds suffered, unless they have an
Honor of 3 or more. If they have the Shadowlands Taint or no Honor at
all, they suffer additional Wounds equal to your Honor x 5. All items
and equipment near you (including your steed) are destroyed utterly,
unless they are nemuranai.
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