WELCOME BACK! Draft: The Akodo Bushi

So, we have returned! By we, I hope I mean both you and me. To my disappointment (I don't think a Fanproject should really induce shame), this blog has languished for the last few months. Many factors contributed to the suspension of both posts and the background work involved. However, the last week has inspired me to return to Hachigoku. I always said there was no schedule or time-limit to this project, so at least I'm living up to that.

When last we left off, I had given a preliminary flavor-text description of how bushi and ryuu ("schools") are organized, and also some previews of ideas for ryuu mechanics. Now I have a first draft of each ryuu's Basic Discipline. This is stripped down, no frills description. I'm going to try to roll out one each day over the next ten days, so as not to clutter the posts with a huge infodump.

First up is the Akodo Bushi. The good ol' stalwarts of L5R, the Akodo have always focused on tradition and precision. They were never all that impressive. when you played an Akodo, it was mostly because you loved the Lion Clan, not because the School impressed you all that much. And for the greatest generals Rokugan ever knew, the introduction of the Lion War College and later the Ikoma Tacticians seems unnecessary. They were trying to bridge over the dissonance between what the Akodo said they did and what their mechanics actually provided for.

But then, that's a pretty common tale throughout L5R's history.

This revision takes into account their emphasis on Honor as a real force, the precision that has long been their standard (and rightly so), and gives them a Battle edge.

Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to comment, question, and gripe!

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The Akodo Bushi Ryuu

Basic Discipline: The Akodo Bushi

Uji/Profession: Akodo Bushi
Benefit: +1 Perception
Honor: 3
Skills: Bajutsu, Battle, Etiquette, Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, Lore
Outfit: Daisho, any bow, any 20 arrows, any 2 weapons (each must use a Bugei Skill), light or heavy armor, sashimono, 1 kimono, traveling pack, 5 koku

Okuden
Rank 1, Way of the Lion: Precision is the aim of the Akodo bushi. When making an attack roll, you can ignore armor (but not Carapace) or gain Free Raises equal to your Discipline Rank.
Rank 2, Strength of Purity: The righteous heart guides the righteous strike. You can spend a Void Point instead of Honor Points when channeling your Honor to gain a bonus to any roll made to resist an action that would lose you Honor or aid an action which would gain you Honor.
Rank 3, Strength of My Ancestors: An Akodo bushi is never alone. Your ancestors are everpresent, and when you strike, the past echoes into the present. When you spend an Action to make an attack, you can also make an additional attack. Also, during a Battle, any Action you spend to take a Battle Action allows you take two instead.
Rank 4, Hand of Destiny: There is no such thing as luck; all success is preordained. When attempting an action with a roll, you may spend Honor Points equal to your Honor Rank to automatically succeed. You gain the benefit of no Raises, except for Free Raises, when doing so. This cannot be applied to opposed rolls or those with no set TN.
Rank 5, The Final Lesson: There are no failures. If you attempt a roll with Raises and fail, you still succeed if you meet or beat the original TN. However, you do not gain the benefit of any Raises, except for Free Raises. Also, you can now spend Honor Points equal to your Honor Rank to automatically succeed at opposed rolls using the Rank 4 Okuden.