Ten Thousand Things: The Character of Yowamushi, Namae, & Kami

Been a week or two or three, yes? Well, reading for the Master's program and working have certainly taken their toll, but work has progressed! In between generating more Yowamushi from the completed Teishin rules, it dawned on me that further clarification of Yowamushi versus other characters was needed.

So, I went back into Chapter 1 and cut the Yowamushi section out of the Skirmish rules, retooled it added sections on the Namae and Kami descriptors. The whole Ten Thousand Things bit now goes after the Vendetta section at the end of Chapter 1.

Enjoy!

Ten Thousand Things

Across the length and breadth of Hachigoku, and beyond, live countless beings; philosophers and poets often refer to the entirety of the world as being “Ten Thousand Things,” a “thousand” meaning an uncountable multitude. Humans, animals, monsters, spirits, gods, and stranger, more esoteric entities populate the mortal and spiritual realms. All these beings, once encountered and interacted with by your character also become characters. There's the first division of beings: your characters, the ones directly controlled and embodied by your decisions as a player, are Player Characters (PCs), and those not controlled by any of the players but by the gamemaster are therefore Non-Player Characters (NPCs).
    Furthermore, all characters encountered in Hachigoku fall into three broad categories: Yowamushi, Namae, and Kami. Yowamushi characters are somewhat weaker, one-dimensional characters not meant to serve as much more than narrative flavor and momentary challenges; thus they use a streamlined version of the combat rules and in general have far less fewer mechanical elements to generate and keep track of. Namae (which means “name”) characters are operating on a different level. Their actions and existence are meant to serve as important conflicts and aid for the development of the PC; thus Namae refers to characters who can be either PCs or NPCs, both using essentially the same rules. When in doubt as to whether a character encountered should or could be Yowamushi or Namae, keep one crucial mechanical difference in mind: Yowamushi have no Wound Ranks, and Namae do. Kami characters are those whose existence does not necessitate mechanics, choosing to bring conflict against one and surviving the ordeal is not going to be a matter of dice rolls or any strictly mechanical effect. This category includes the Fortunes, dragons, the Oracles, the kami and kansen of the mortal world, and any spirit beings from outside the mortal realm encountered in their native realm.
    It's important to note how these divisions apply to NPCs and PCs respectively; PCs are considered Namae characters as well as PCs, although an NPC may belong to any of the other three divisions.

Yowamushi
Not every NPC is the focus of a story or adventure. They don’t need names, motivations, or depth of character. They just need orders, and to give the PC’s something to fight. These random opponents (usually warriors or monsters, but not always) are called Yowamushi.
    There is one important calculation to always keep in mind about Yowamushi: all it takes is one successful hit and the Yowamushi is out of commission. Whether this means death or simply being knocked out depends on how and what they were hit with; see the Skill rules in Chapter 2 for more information. If they can survive more than one hit without some special ability (such as an Okuden), then the Yowamushi ought to be considered a Namae character with Wound Ranks. Thus, rolling damage against a Yowamushi should always be irrelevant. One hit, the infliction of even a single Wound, incapacitates them.

Threat Ranks: Each Yowamushi has a Threat Rank (TR) from 1 to 5. All Rings and Traits are considered equal to the Threat Rank for the purposes of mechanics (although a lone Yowamushi, once promoted to Namse status, may actually have higher or lower Rings and Traits). Also, when the Yowamushi make a combat roll, they act as a group, making one roll for all of them. They roll dice equal to their number, and keep dice equal to their TR. A Yowamushi could be made more powerful by simply increasing the TR by 1 over their normal specimens. Such Yowamushi would be “experienced.”

Skills: Some Yowamushi have Skills, especially samurai Yowamushi. These Skills work differently than those of normal characters. Instead of rolling Skill/Trait, the Yowamushi add dice to their roll when using the Skill equal to their TR, no matter how many Yowamushi are acting in concert.
    Generally, while they may have Skills they rarely, if ever, have Emphases. Yowamushi should only be given an Emphasis if it is required to facilitate or fulfill the requirements of a Discipline.

Skirmish: When rolling for Initiative in a Skirmish, only a single roll is made for each type of Yowamushi present. Since their Void Ring is equal to their TR, they roll their TR for Initiative. Yowamushi cannot use Interrupt Actions except for Active Defenses, although they can collectively Hold their Actions.
    Yowamushi are often handled in groups of six, since it's hard for more than six people to attack a single person at once. Thus, since almost all attack rolls are made via Skill rolls, when attacking in concert they add their Skill Ranks, which is equal to their TR, together with their quantity to determine rolled dice, and keep only dice equal to their TR. When the Yowamushi hits an opponent, they roll damage as per the usual weapon being wielded. If multiple weapons of sufficiently different DR’s are used, use the lowest DR; this includes using the lowest rolled and kept dice sperately. So, a mixed Yowamushi group (who otherwise share the same traits and TR) but mixed between katana (DR 2k2) and ono (DR 0k4) would have a base DR 0k2. Instead of Strength, Yowamushi add the number of Yowamushi to the dice rolled for damage. They may be Yowamushi, but they’re not to be laughed at.
    Yowamushi also have a TN to be Hit. Their TN to be Hit is equal to their TR x 5, so a Yowamushi (TR 3) has a TN to be Hit of 15. As mentioned earlier, each hit automatically incapacitates or kills a Yowamushi, depending on the Skill or weapon being used; no damage need be rolled. A successful attack defeats 1 Yowamushi, although Raises can be made to defeat more.
    Finally, Yowamushi can also aid you. When acting in concert, the Yowamushi gives you a bonus to any attack roll totals equal to their TR. If the Yowamushi has the Skill in use, you can add their TR x 2 to your roll total instead. You gain the bonus for each Yowamushi aiding him, but cannot benefit from more Yowamushi than your Void Ring.

Factions: It's reasonable to assume Yowamushi belonging to factions, such as uji or otokodate, might also receive the faction bonus of +2 to a Skill and a free Emphasis in that Skill. Generally, though, I wouldn't bother. It increases bookkeeping at the expense of gameflow and makes them perhaps too specialized, when the whole point of the concept is just to grab characters out of thin air with minimal preparation and start throwing dice.

Qualities: Usually, Yowamushi do not have Qualities, but neither are they barred from having them. Usually it's only worth it to give Yowamushi Qualities a Discipline demands or grants. This itself is rare, since Advanced Disciplines are usually the only ones requiring or granting Qualities, and the linking of TR to Skill Ranks would prohibit most Yowamushi from having Ranks in Advanced Disciplines requiring any Skill over 5.
    An exception would be animals, who routinely should be considered to have the Weakness Disadvantage for both Awareness and Intelligence, and possibly Perception and Willpower depending on the beast. Note they still have Void; thinking an animal would lack a harmony of elements would be contrary to the animistic philosophy of Hachigoku metaphysics.

Names: Although Namae status denotes much more “flesh and soul” for a character, calling the Yowamushi “nameless” does not actually imply names are forbidden to them. When one encounters a servant, a peasant, a roving bandit, a court official, or a border guard it is assumed such people are, narratively speaking, of minor importance as individuals. Yet they still do have names and histories and can be referred to as such, without losing the mechanics of being Yowamushi. So Kachiko the geisha, whom you slept with one night before moving on, did not magically all the attributes and advantages of being a Namae character all of a sudden.

Promotion: Then again, what kind of heartless wretch are you? It is possible for a Yowamushi to be promoted to Namae status. The Yowamushi samurai who challenged you to a duel, who killed your friend, who you fell in love with, who has sworn vengeance on you for your desecration of their village, desecration of their honor... All can develop into major players in the course of your life, above and beyond the role Yowamushi typically serve.
    Promotion to Namae status is simple. First, the Yowamushi already needs a name. The name doesn't even have to be full or correct; you may only know them by a family name, given name, nickname (common for ronin or the lower castes), or even a false name (common for ninja and bandits). Second, target the Yowamushi and spend a Void Point. That's it. The Yowamushi is now a Namae character. Remember, you're not restricted to characters your character interacts with, nor is promotion only limited to being enacted by a PC; the GM can spend Void Points for promotion as well. In fact, you can even help the GM out by by using a Void Point from the Void Pool to enact a promotion, but doing so also costs you Honor Points and Glory Points equal to the Yowamushi's TR. If you don't have enough, you can't swipe them.
    Once promoted, the new Namae character has all the same Skills as before, and no more, at at Ranks equal to their former TR (adjusted for any faction bonus, if given previously. The same is true of their Rings and associated Traits. Any other attributes are gained if already given, such as Qualities, Discipline Ranks (even if the resulting Insight Rank is not high enough to accommodate the Discipline Ranks), Honor, Glory, Infamy, etc. Most importantly, the character now acts according to all normals rules, and has Wound Ranks.
    You also get Five True Things to say about the promoted character. These can be facts equivalent to Bonus Effects concerning things previously unknown (social status, faction, hair color, height, upbringing, family, lovers, likes and dislikes, rumors, etc.), new Qualities or equipment, additional Disciplines or Discipline Ranks (only if the character's Insight Rank allows), new Skills at a Rank equal to character's previous TR, or a new Emphasis in a Skill already possessed (although you can give one after giving them the Skill as a True Thing). Additionally, you can raise or lower a Ring or Skill Rank by 1 per True Thing “spent” (also raising and lowering any associated Trait).
    So, that samurai your ally just dueled and left standing? The bandit whose life you spared and owes you a debt? The sister of your friend's enemy with the sparkling eyes? The geisha your daimyo abandoned?
    Give them purpose. Give them strength. Give them a Void Point.

Namae
These are the people who both have meaning in your Story and in turn give your Story meaning. The people that matter: your friends and enemies, your allies and rivals, your daimyo, and maybe even your family, depending on the active role they take in your life. And of course, those who were inconsequential once but have grown with or against you.
    And, of course, you. Or at least your PC.
    When generating Namae characters, the GM can make it as detailed or vague a process as the like. They can go step by step as if creating a PC, or just simply assign Ranks to different attributes as they see fit. When increasing the Insight Rank of such characters, they could carefully track out the Season Actions and events of the character's life from gempukku onward, or just arbitrarily assign additional Ranks and attributes. This is best left to the GM's prerogative. However, any attribute not defined before being encountered (even if only secretly for the GM's eyes only) is subject to a PC's use of Bonus Effects from Raises.
    A good rule of thumb is that any character who could be created as a PC, should be. This excludes monsters and particularly gifted animals and members of the lower caste, who should be created as needed with whatever attributes the GM and reason deems proper. If advanced past Insight Rank 1, the GM should just assign whatever attributes and Ranks are appropriate, or even leave them to be filled in by circumstance and player ingenuity.

Kami
The lack of mechanics for those who are considered Kami (as distinct from other uses of the term, such as for elemental spirits and the children of Sun and Moon) is meant to foster a sense of awe, respect, and fear when encountering such beings. It's not a matter of physics or ingenuity whether or not you wrestle a Fortune to the ground; doing such is a cosmic occurrence. Giving the Fortune stats, no matter how ridiculously powerful, still serves for most players as encouragement to take on the challenge.
    Not that it wouldn't be entertaining, but being able to constantly and consistently wrestle Fortunes, or dragons, Oracles, etc. would not only detract from their awe, and render them merely Namae characters, however powerful and magical they may be.
    Going that route is up to you, just be prepared to lose for what you gain.

Draft: Teishin Advanced Disciplines

And now, the last of the Teishin rules for a bit. The Teishin Advanced Schools!

Asako Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Martial Scholar

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Rings: Void 6, all other Rings at 3
Skills: Atemi 5, Athletics 3, Jiujutsu 5, Lore 7
Qualities: Hands of Stone, Scholar

Okuden
Rank 1, Yin and Yang: Balancing your physical and mental conditioning unleashes your potential. When making contested Social rolls, attack rolls barehanded, and Athletics Skill rolls you gain Free Raises equal to your Void.

Rank 2, Shifting the Dragon: You have mastered the forces of your soul, shifting your elemental energy to where it's needed most. When making a contested Social roll, attack roll barehanded, or Athletics Skill roll, you may spend a Void Point to substitute the higher of two paired Traits. Thus, if the roll called for your Agility, you could spend a Void Point and use your Intelligence instead. You may also spend a Void Point to substitute one Ring for another in such a roll.

Rank 3, Defining the Essence: Your fusion of spirit and flesh through intense meditation, study, and training leads to superhuman concentration and speed. You automatically win all contested Willpower rolls if you have a higher Willpower than your opponent. When you spend an Action to make a barehanded attack, you can also make an additional barehanded attack.

Bayushi Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Ryoko Owari Bengoshi

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Traits: Awareness 5, Intelligence 5
Skills: Etiquette 3, Investigation 3, Law 5, Oratory 5, Sincerity 5, Underworld 3
Qualities: Voice of the Crane
Other: Must be appointed a metsuke in your uji.

Okuden
Rank 1, Viper's Tongue: Your cunning and swift wit deflect all but the most blatant charges against those whose reputation you protect against the law. When making Etiquette, Law, Oratory, or Sincerity rolls, you gain a +Xk0 bonus, where X is your Discipline Rank. If these are contested rolls against a metsuke, you add your Law + Sincerity to the roll total. When involved in a Vendetta, your enemy automatically loses Vendetta Actions equal to your Discipline Rank.

Rank 2, Testimony of the Faithless: You are skilled at entrapping your accusers in their own testimony, or invalidating their testimony. When you or another are accused of a crime or dishonorable action, you may spend a Void Point to make a Sincerity/Awareness roll (TN 5 x accuser's Glory) to force the accuser to say the exact opposite of whatever sentence they have just uttered (“What my dear brother meant to say was...”) and have believed by whomever is present with Glory less than your Intelligence. Also, you may attempt to deflect an accusation against you or another by making a contested Law/Intelligence roll with whomever is taking such an accusation into account, such as a metsuke or your superior. If you win, you have unearthed an esoteric ruling of an uji metsuke, Jade Metsuke, or Imperial Edict that proves the innocence of the accused.

Rank 3, The Law Is My Ally: Your ability to manipulate the law to your advantage gains you many friends and enemies. If you successfully defend an individual from criminal or dishonorable accusations, you may gain them immediately as an Ally (as per the Quality) by spending a Void Point, if you knew them to be actually innocent. If you knew them to be guilty, you may spend a Void Point to immediately gain the Blackmail Advantage over them. Also, if you defend an individual with by making a Law/Intelligence roll, you may choose to have the accuser declared guilty of the crime or dishonor instead by spending a Void Point.

Doji Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Toshi Ranbo Shugo

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Traits: Awareness 4, Willpower 4
Skills: Commerce 3, Etiquette 5, Law 3, Politics 5
Qualities: Ally, Soul of Green Walls
Other: Must have a Glory and Honor of 3 or more.

Okuden
Rank 1, The City Listens: You understand all the best qualities life in the city offers the cultured samurai of Hachigoku. You gain Free Raises equal to your Discipline Rank to all High Skill rolls made within your domain of authority and within the domain any Ally's authority. You are always considered to have Shelter within your domain of authority.

Rank 2, The City Speaks: Your leadership inspires those in your city to greater heights. Any Yowamushi under your authority in a Scene gains a bonus to their Threat Rank equal to your Discipline Rank. These bonus Threat Ranks do not automatically grant any increased Glory, Honor, Okuden or other such abilities, although they do grant temporary bonuses to Traits and Skills determined by Threat Rank. If promoted to Namae status, a Yowamushi determines their statistics based on their real Threat Rank, not on the Rank amplified by your presence.

Rank 3, The City Lives: Your network of allies and careful management of resources allows you to maximize the benefits of your position. When leveraging Holdings within your domain of authority, you add your Discipline Rank to the Holding's Rank. If an individual close to you, such as a superior, family member, Wa comrade, or Lover has a Holding within your domain of authority, they gain the bonus as well.

Ikoma Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Jade Metsuke

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Traits/Rings: Air 4, Fire 4
Skills: Etiquette 5, Kenjutsu 5, Law 5, Politics 3, Sincerity 3, Underworld 3
Qualities: Clear Thinker, Methodical
Other: Must be appointed by the Jade Champion. Must have an Honor of 3 or more.

Okuden
Rank 1, Saibankan's Method: You have learned the simple but effective methods of Soshi Saibankan. Whenever you make a roll using one of this Discipline's Required Skills, you may spent a Void Point to automatically succeed on the roll with no Raises except Free Raises. This does not apply to contested rolls or attack rolls. Also, you are considered to have additional Glory equal to your Discipline Rank when dealing with samurai.

Rank 2, For the Empire: Your duty to the Empire brooks no interference. As an Action, you can summon all the authority of your position into your swordarm by spending a Void Point and designate a target. For the rest of the Scene, you reduce all damage reduction bonuses by your Honor and ignore armor and magical bonuses to the target's TN to be Hit. This includes any ability that reduces your damage rolls directly, raising your roll by your Honor. So with an Honor of 3, an ability that gives you a -2k0 penalty or a -3k5 penalty would become a -0k0 penalty and a -0k2 penalty, respectively.

Rank 3, In Hantei's Name: Your passion for the Emperor's justice permeates your every thought and deed. Whenever you make attack rolls or contested rolls involving this Discipline's Required Skills, you may spend a Void Point to succeed automatically with Free Raises equal to your Honor.

Kitsuki Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Go Master

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Traits/Rings: Awareness 4, Intelligence 4, Perception 5, Void 3
Skills: Battle 3, Etiquette 5, Games 7, Investigation 3
Qualities: Clear Thinker, Great Potential (Games)
Other: Must have won a boardgame competition at a Social Event of Rank 2 or greater.

Okuden
Rank 1, Placing the First Stone: Every game is a duel. When playing games using the Games Skill, you may choose to make the game a duel. Treat it as an Iaijutsu duel, replacing “Iaijutsu” with “Games” in all instances. There is no damage roll. If both duelists fail their Strike rolls, they keep trading opportunities to make rolls against each other, the TN lowering to the last Focus. The victor gains Glory Points equal to their Games Skill and negates any Glory losses from playing the game. Also, you gain a bonus on all Perception roll totals equal to your Games.

Rank 2, Breaking Through the Wall: You know the best moment to strike and break your opponent's defenses after careful observation. After playing any game using the Games Skill with an individual for at least 30 minutes, you can make a Games/Perception roll (TN 30) to learn any 1 Trait of your opponent's, with an additional Trait per Raise. During a Battle, you may add your Games Skill to any roll total for determining Advantage.

Rank 3, The Final Stone: The most noble path is to embrace the art and serenity of the game, not to worry over victory and defeat. During a Duel or Battle you lose no Honor or Glory. Also, you may add your Games to all contested Social rolls; this may be cumulative with the Rank 1 bonus to Perception rolls.

Miya Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Imperial Cartographer

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Traits: Awareness 4, Perception 5, Stamina 4
Skills: Artisan 5, Bajutsu 3, Calligraphy 5, Hunting 3, Investigation 5, Politics 5
Qualities: Clear Thinker, Well-Connected

Okuden
Rank 1, Way of the Land: Your travels cannot be impeded by anyone without Imperial authority. You gain a bonus equal to your Awareness + Glory to all contested Social roll totals instigated by others. You cannot be stopped at border checkpoints throughout Hachigoku nor be held in a prison or dungeon without those ordering so losing an Honor Rank and gaining Infamy. You also can claim Shelter from any Holding, even those that do not normally grant Shelter.

Rank 2, The Map Is Not the Territory: You are not sent abroad merely to make maps, but to gather information about the lands you travel through. If you have spent significant time (such as an entire Story) in a region controlled by a faction (usually a han controlled by an uji, but not necessarily), you gain a +Xk0 bonus to all Awareness and Perception rolls while in that region, where X equals your Void. Also, once per Scene you can spend a Void Point to automatically make a roll to to define facts with Bonus Effects (What...? How...?).

Rank 3, Hidden Between the Lines: You are skilled at finding hidden resources... or concealing them. You cannot be ambushed or caught unaware. After ten minutes of conversation with an individual you may make an Investigation/Awareness (TN 20) to learn the name of the individual's highest Rank Holding, if they have any, plus the next highest per Raise. During a Vendetta, you may learn two Holdings for each one you discover, and none of your Holdings may be learned of or targeted with Vendetta Actions. You may also protect the holdings of other individuals, up to your Perception. 

Otomo Teishin Gakuen

Advanced Discipline: Otosan Uchi Bugyo

Uji/Profession: Teishin
Requirements:
Traits: Awareness 4, Intelligence 4
Skills: Calligraphy 3, Etiquette 5, Law 3, Oratory 3, Politics 5, Sincerity 5
Qualities: Greedy, Well-Connected

Okuden
Rank 1, Imperial Grace: You understand there is no true difference between attack and defense in the courts of Hachigoku. You gain a bonus to all Etiquette roll totals equal to your Politics, and to all Politics roll totals equal to your Etiquette. In any Duel, your Focuses are limited not by your Void but by the highest of your Etiquette or Politics.

Rank 2, Favored Among the Heavens: Honeyed words can sway even the most aggressive mind from violence. You gain Free Raises equal to your Awareness when making Sincerity rolls. Also, when making an Active Defense against a melee attack, you may make a Sincerity/Awareness roll instead of an Athletics/Agility roll.

Rank 3, Voice of the Sun and Moon: You shape lives with your words. You may spend a Void Point when making rolls to define facts (What...? How...? No.) to substitute your Awareness for whatever Trait is normally used. Also, once per Season you may spend a Season Action to give an individual a Granted Quality.

Draft: All the Teishin Path Disciplines

Now, it's time to take a look at all the Path Disciplines for the Teishin Gakuen. Should be interesting.

Asako Teishin Gakuen

Path Discipline: Ikoma Hatamoto

Uji/Discipline: Ikoma Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Asako Teishin 4

Okuden

Judgment of Heaven: Your learning culminates in one fundamental truth: War is politics by other means. When making rolls involving the Battle or Politics Skills, you can use your highest Lore Skill instead and keep Awareness. If in a force where your superior is the commander (including a Vendetta), your superior gains a bonus to all Battle and Politics roll totals equal to your highest Lore Skill.

Path Discipline: Imperial Historian

Uji/Discipline: Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Asako Teishin 2

Okuden

Memory of the Ages: Those who write history can shape it their will. You gain Bonus Effects (as if they were Raises) equal to your Intelligence on any successful Intelligence rolls. When making contested Social rolls involving Etiquette or Lore, you can spend an Honor Point to automatically succeed, unless the opponent spends Glory Points equal to your Etiquette or Lore Skill Rank. If they do so, they have contradict your facts or argument and win the roll automatically, and you lose Glory Points equal to their Glory. In either case, neither gains any Raises except Free Raises.

Path Discipline: Yoritomo Philosopher

Uji/Discipline: Yoritomo Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Asako Teishin 1

Okuden

Rangaku: Your exposure to gaijin knowledge leads you to insights often contrary to most accepted knowledge in Hachigoku. When making any Lore roll or contested Social Skill roll, you may spend a Void Point to keep your Intelligence instead of whatever Trait or Ring is normally called for.

Bayushi Teishin Gakuen

Path Discipline: Otomo Shinobi

Uji/Profession: Otomo Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Bayushi Teishin 1

Okuden

Eyes of the Emperor: You are trained to identify and catalogue threats to the Empire from within. After one minute of studying an individual, you can automatically tell whether the individual is a Yowamushi or Namae character. Furthermore, you can make a raw Perception roll (TN 5 x individual's Threat Rank or Insight Rank). If successful, you learn one of the individual's following (if there is a tie, you learn all the relevant facts): highest Trait, highest Skill Rank, highest Discipline Rank, his Honor, his Glory, or his status and position (if any). You can learn an additional fact per Raise.

Path Discipline: Rokugo Oyaban

Uji/Profession: Rokugo Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Bayushi Teishin 3

Okuden

Way of the Black Lotus: Dealing in the underground markets of Hachigoku requires cunning and a flexible respect for Bushido. You gain a bonus to all Low Skill roll totals equal to your Intelligence. If making contested Low Skill rolls against those with Infamy, double this bonus. If making a roll which would cause you to lose Honor Points, you gain a bonus to the roll's total equal to the amount lost.

Path Discipline: Tokagure Gardener

Uji/Profession: Bayushi Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Bayushi Teishin 3

Okuden

Veil of Fragrant Sleep: You find serenity as a tender of the most deadly gardens in Hachigoku. You gain a bonus to all Artisan and Poison Skill roll totals equal to your Intelligence, and may choose a number of poisons equal to your Stamina that you have gained immunity to after years of exposure.

Doji Teishin Gakuen

Path Discipline: Bayushi Junshin

Uji/Profession: Bayushi Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Doji Teishin 1

Okuden

Power of Innocence: Your faith in Bushido saps the strength out of your opponents in court. As long as you maintain at least 3 Honor, those making contested Social rolls against you have a -Xk0 penalty, where X is your Honor. However, you lose this bonus for the rest of the Scene if you use the Sincerity Skill at all.

Path Discipline: Hiramichi Teishin

Uji/Profession: Hiramichi Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Doji Teishin 2

Okuden

Daikoku's Favor: Your knowledge of how to fulfill the desires of others is used to benefit your uji. At the start of each Season, you gain additional Season Actions equal to the number of Allies you have, as per the Ally Quality. These can only be used to either leverage Holdings or be exchanged for koku equal to your Awareness.

Path Discipline: Tonbo Poet

Uji/Profession: Tonbo Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Doji Teishin 3

Okuden

Superior Form: All of existence can be summed up in a few lines of poetry, and your life is endless quest for just the right words. When making any Oratory roll involving poetry, you gain a +Xk0 bonus, where X equals your Void. This can include any Duel involving writing. Even Romance.

Ikoma Teishin Gakuen

Path Discipline: Hogosha Teishin

Uji/Profession: Hogosha Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Ikoma Teishin 1

Okuden

Intrepid Negotiator: Your overbearing personality has its uses, forcing others into undefensible positions in negotiations. You add your Willpower to all contested Social Skill rolls, and you gain the Intimidation Emphasis for all your Discipline Skills.

Path Discipline: Ikoma Omoidasu

Uji/Profession: Ikoma Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Ikoma Teishin 2

Okuden

Tell the Tale: You are the living repository of Ikoma history and lore, with a freedom of heart afforded to few samurai. You lose no Honor for emotional outbursts or for any words you say, and add your Intelligence to all Law, Lore, Oratory, and Performance roll totals.

Path Discipline: Matsu Teishin

Uji/Profession: Matsu Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Ikoma Teishin 3

Okuden

Hand of Our Ancestors: Actions speak louder than words. You add your Glory to all Bugei Skill roll totals, and can Focus in any Duel a number of additional times equal to your Glory.

Kakita Artisan Gakuen

Path Discipline: Shiba Artisan

Uji/Profession: Shiba Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Kakita Artisan 3

Okuden

The Spirit of Beauty: Art is an ephemeral experience that cannot be captured; it can only be embraced and released. You create artworks that last no longer than a Scene. Ikebana, origami, and sand mandalas are the most common, but performances using the Performance Skill or even highly intricate competitions using the Games Skill are possible. In addition, you add your Void to all Artisan roll totals and all roll totals involved in creating inspiring artwork.

Path Discipline: Yasuki Playwright

Uji/Profession: Yasuki Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Kakita Artisan 3

Okuden

The Play's the Thing: The garish kabuki performances of the Hida cities are your playground and inspiration. You can use Oratory/Awareness to create artworks in the vein of kabuki plays, and add your Fire to all Artisan, Athletics, Oratory, and Performance Skill roll totals.

Kitsuki Teishin Gakuen

 

 

Path Discipline: Kitsuki Metsuke

Uji/Profession: Kitsuki Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Kitsuki Teishin 2

Okuden

Strength of Evidence: You believe in the righteousness of your duty, and your desire to bring criminals to justice overcomes all obstacles. When making any Skill roll against a criminal for whom you have physical proof of guilt, your Traits are considered to be 1 higher than normal.

Path Discipline: Shinjo Metsuke

Uji/Profession: Shinjo Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Kitsuki Teishin 3

Okuden

Justice Amends: You understand that sacrifices must be made for justice. You lose no Honor if an action is directly related to apprehending a criminal, or taken against those with Infamy. You add your Honor to your TN to be Hit at all times.

Path Discipline: Tsuruchi Oniwaban

Uji/Profession: Tsuruchi Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Kitsuki Teishin 2

Okuden

The Hidden Sword: Your reputation amongst the lower castes grants you access to a world normally unknown to samurai. You gain Free Raises on all Skill rolls against non-samurai within the Celestial Order equal to your Perception. When dealing with the lower caste servants of other samurai, you may spend a Void Point to command them to perform a single task, as long as it does not immediately risk their own life.

Miya Teishin Gakuen

Path Discipline: Asahina Teishin

Uji/Profession: Asahina Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Miya Teishin 4

Okuden

True Discernment: Your impartiality and insurmountable scruples brings you allies and honor. Whenever you are the judge of a Duel or other contest, or oversee a negotiation for which you are a disinterested third party, you gain Honor and Glory Points equal to the highest Insight Rank of the contestants or negotiators, and all Awareness rolls you make regarding the matter have a +1k0 bonus. After such a situation is concluded, you may spend a Void Point to make an Ally (as per the Quality) of an individual involved, no matter the outcome.

Path Discipline: Ide Teishin

Uji/Profession: Ide Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Miya Teishin 2

Okuden

The Winds of Rhetoric: The Ide have brought back from gaijin lands various rhetorical techniques and dare to argue other samurai into logical solutions. When making Social Skill rolls, you can keep your Intelligence instead of your Awareness. In either case, you add your Intelligence to all Discipline Skill roll totals.

Path Discipline: Miya Shisha

Uji/Profession: Miya Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Miya Teishin 2

Okuden

Emperor's Blessing: those who ride with the Blessing are beloved by the people. Whenever you use the Craft Skill to repair an object or building belonging to another, you gain a +Xk0 bonus, where X equals your Honor. In addition, you gain Free Raises equal to your Honor on any Social rolls with the owners of that which you repair. If a building is repaired in this way, these Free Raises can be used with any inhabitant of the village or city. This bonus lasts for the entire Season. Finally, you may spend a Season Action to quell Trouble in any Holding, even it does not belong to you or a member of your Wa.

Otomo Teishin Gakuen

Path Discipline: Nani Teishin

Uji/Profession: Nani Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Otomo Teishin 1

Okuden

Vengeance of the Paper Tiger: Your command of the written word gives you mastery over the bureaucratic maze of Hachigoku's courts. All your Oratory and Etiquette roll totals gain a bonus equal to your Law. When involved in a Duel of Letters, you can Focus additional times equal to your Willpower.

Path Discipline: Otomo Seiyaku

Uji/Profession: Otomo Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Otomo Teishin 4

Okuden

The Will of the Roju: As an agent of the Roju, the authority of the Regent lies in your words. Only the members of the Roju are considered your superiors, and only they may grant permission to do you harm. You can also invoke your authority and command a samurai to do your bidding with an Oratory/Willpower roll, TN 5 x the Glory of the target. If your command is dishonorable or places the samurai at great risk, the TN is 10 x the Glory of the target. They may still refuse if you succeed on your roll, but lose a Rank of both Honor and Glory.

Path Discipline: Seppun Metsuke

Uji/Profession: Seppun Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Otomo Teishin 2

Okuden

Tengoku's Huntsman: The blessings of Heaven aid you in your sacred duty to protect the Emperor's justice; none escape your righteous scrutiny. You gain a +Xk0 bonus to all Hunting and Investigation Skill rolls, where X equals your Honor. Also, you add your Perception to all attack roll totals.

Shosuro Butei Gakuen

Path Discipline: Shosuro Yojimbo

Uji/Profession: Shosuro Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Shosuro Butei 2

Okuden

Protector from the Shadows: You serve your charge secretly, hiding in lain sight as a trusted servant or advisor. You gain Free Raises equal to your Intelligence on Investigation and Battle Skill rolls to notice hidden threats and traps that might threaten your charge. When making attack rolls against those who are unaware of your presence, you gain Free Raises equal to your charge's Glory.

Path Discipline: Usagi Butei

Uji/Profession: Usagi Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Shosuro Butei 1

Okuden

Monkey Steals the Fan: Your on-stage antics require intense athleticism and hand-to-hand training. You add your Performance to all Athletics and hand-to-hand attack roll totals, and to your TN to be Hit.

Yasuki Merchant Gakuen

Path Discipline: Hida Teishin

Uji/Profession: Hida Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Yasuki Merchant 3

Okuden

We Acquire What We Must: You know how to find what your army needs and acquire it quickly, all in the name of necessity. You gain Free Raises on all Commerce, Investigation, and Sincerity rolls equal to your highest Holding Rank. If performing a dishonorable action in the name of your faction's material needs, you lose no Honor.

Path Discipline: Ide Merchant

Uji/Profession: Ide Teishin

Discipline Requirement: Yasuki Merchant 2

Okuden

The Gilded Road: You have traveled exotic roads beyond Hachigoku, and can form lasting bonds with your customers. You can double the overland travel speed of yourself and a number of other individuals equal to your Insight Rank x 5. This only applies in lands outside the boundaries of Hachigoku or the Shadowlands. After you make a successful contested Commerce roll, you may spend a Void Point to gain the other individual as an Ally (per the Quality).

Draft: Nanashi Mura Metsuke Advanced Discipline

Tonight, the Nanshi Mura Metsuke! An Advanced Discipline that amps up the crimefighting bushi who takes on hordes of henchmen to slice his way to the top dog, protecting the underdog in the process. Samurai tend to hate him, criminals fear him, and the commoners love him.

Yes, the ronin of Nanashi Mura take time to train the occasional Batman.

Enjoy.

Mirumoto Bushi Ryuu

Advanced Discipline: Nanashi Mura Metsuke

Uji/Profession: Bushi
Requirements:
Rings: Agility 5, Awareness 5, Water 4
Skills: Athletics 3, Etiquette 3, Jiujutsu 5, Kenjutsu 5, Law 5
Qualities: Hero of the People
Other: Must be in good standing with the ronin of Nanashi Mura. Must be capable of making two attacks with a single Action during a Skirmish. Must have been appointed a metsuke by a superior.

Okuden
Rank 1, Honor of the People: Your reputation for compassion and justice towards those beneath you is enhanced by your time with the ronin. You gain an +Xk0 bonus on all contested Social rolls with non-samurai within the Celestial Order, where X equals your Honor. In addition, you add your Law to all attack and damage roll totals against those whom you believe have broken the law. If their crimes were committed against those of a lower caste, you add your Honor as well.

Rank 2, Justice of the People: Your thirst for justice permeates every action taken. You add your Law to all Skill roll totals in a Vendetta or Duel against those whom you believe  have broken the law. If their crime was committed against those of a lower caste, you add your Honor as well.

Rank 3, The People's Champion: You are undaunted by the forces of injustice the Empire rallies against you. When you spend an Action to make an attack against Yowamushi, you can also make an additional attack. When facing a roll where failure would cause harm for those of a lower caste, you may spend an Honor Point to automatically succeed on the roll with no Raises except for Free Raises.

Draft: Shosuro Butei and Kakita Artisan

Without a doubt, the Butei and Artisan are undoubtedly the most difficult Disciplines to work out the way I like. The Shosuro Butei have been these great spy/assassin/actors since Way of the Scorpion, but I didn't want them to be dedicated assassins and spies. I wanted them to be more broad-based, and leave the assassin and spy mechanics for Paths and Advanced Disciplines. I think what's left is still playable and fun, and managed to avoid the whole issue of whether they were kabuki or noh specialists.

The Artisan was even more difficult. The original had all these great, mystical art tricks. But that also gave it a terribly long write-up that felt like several Schools instead of one. By Great Clans, the Artisan had become a much more unified School, but it felt like just a dice booster with little flavor. I decided that a lot of the art-specific stuff was better used for Advanced Disciplines and Paths.

Phase 2, someday. Phase 2. Until then, here ya go!

Kakita Artisan Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Kakita Artisan

Uji/Profession: Kakita Teishin

Benefit: +1 Agility

Honor: 2

Skills: Artisan, Athletics, Calligraphy, Etiquette, Oratory, Performance

Outfit: Tanto, 2 kimono, art supplies, traveling pack, 10 koku (all Fine Quality)

Okuden

Rank 1, Hands of the Lady: Lady Doji's spirit moves your hands. When using Artisan, you gain Free Raises equal to your Discipline Rank. In addition, you gain a bonus on all Social Skill roll totals equal to your Artisan.

Rank 2, The Soul's Dream: The art you create moves and inspires the soul of the samurai. Any art you create produces additional Honor Points equal to your Discipline Rank, and you do not need an Honor of 3 to gain Honor from art. When using a Skill to create art, you gain a bonus to your Skill roll total equal to your Honor.

Rank 3, Free the Soul: With great care and effort you create art that inspires the audience to delve deep within for answers and achievement. As a Season Action, you can create a work of art capable of granting others Void Points. At the end of the Season, you make the appropriate Skill roll (TN 20). If it succeeds, you have created a Rank 1 artwork. This artwork has a tangible, fixed form, such as a painting, poem, sculpture, architecture—even a garden would qualify. The potential artwork Rank can be increased by 1 per Raise. Each Season, you can spend a Season Action—but only one per artwork—to increase the actual Rank of the artwork, but cannot increase it past its potential. When it's time to reveal the artwork, you may add the Rank of the Social Event to your artwork's Rank with a successful Artisan/Awareness roll (TN 10 x the Social Event's Rank).

Once revealed to an audience, those who view the work may make Void roll (TN 5 x the artwork's Rank) to gain Void Points equal to the artwork's Rank. These may exceed an individual's normal maximum for Void Points; the GM's Void Pool gains Void Points equal to the artwork Rank as well. However, this inspiration can only affect an individual or the GM's Void Pool once per Season; the GM may choose to forego the Void Pool bonus at any time.

While the artwork's Rank does not decrease, its benefits do. Every time an individual attempts to gain Void Points from a specific artwork, the gain is reduced by 1 Void Point.

Finally, the TN to create an artwork that creates Honor is halved from 40 to 20.

Rank 4, The Undying Name: Your art's magnificence can make or break reputations. When creating an artwork, you can make Raises to work in aspects of another's Glory or Infamy into the work. Each Raise works in an additional individual. Those included in the artwork gain Free Raises on contested Social rolls with anyone who has gained Void Points from the artwork this Season, and gain Glory or Infamy Points equal to the artwork's Rank. Alternatively, for an additional Raise you make the individuals lose Gory or Infamy Points.

Rank 5, A Gift Beyond Price: You understand the most powerful force of change in the universe is the power of art and vision. Artisan and Performance Skills are also considered Lore Skills for you. When involved a Vendetta, you can spend a Vendetta Action to give a Granted Quality to an enemy or a member of your force.

Shosuro Butei Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Shosuro Butei

Uji/Profession: Shosuro Teishin

Benefit: +1 Awareness

Honor: 1

Skills: Artisan, Athletics, Meditation, Performance, Oratory, Sincerity

Outfit: Aiguchi, kimono, 2 costumes and masks, journal, traveling pack, 4 koku

Okuden

Rank 1, A Thousand Hearts: The butei learns to hide his true feelings beneath the actor's mask. You gain a +Xk0 bonus to all Performance Skill rolls and contested Social rolls instigated by others, where X equals your Discipline Rank.

Ranks 2-4, A Thousand Masks: Your mastery of mannerisms and personality traits beyond yourself allows you to delve so deeply into a persona that you are easily mistaken for the true thing, at the risk of losing yourself. At Ranks 2, 3, and 4 you gain a new persona you have mastered intricately. A persona is an archetypical character in Hachigoku culture, a figure flexible enough to be found nearly anywhere. Playing the persona often requires you to portray someone beneath samurai status; when doing so, you are so submerged in the persona that you act outside the bounds of Bushido and Honor. You cannot benefit from it in this case, either. And other samurai might not so willingly accept your sudden “eccentricity.” And since the whole point of being deep within a persona is to enter a transitory world, you have no Glory unless provided by the persona, and any Glory Points you gain or lose are attached to the persona and vanish if you slip out of the persona.

Each persona provides you with role-appropriate clothing and equipment. You also gain a set of Skills at Ranks equal to your Discipline Rank. Using your own Skills while submerged in a persona is difficult, and becomes more difficult as you progress through the your training, imposing a -Xk0 penalty to all rolls involving Skills you posses unconnected with the persona. You can spend a Season Action to increase a number of persona Skills equal to your Discipline Rank by 1 Rank, although no such Skills may have Ranks higher than your Discipline Rank + Void. You can even flesh out the persona's “character” by adding additional Skills outside the normal set, and purchasing an Emphasis in the skill instead of raising it. Slipping in and out of a persona requires either a Meditation/Void roll (TN your Discipline Rank x 5) or spending a Void Point.

Anyone trying to see the real you through your persona when they don't already no otherwise, such as someone investigating you as a shinobi perhaps, must make a contested Investigation/Awareness or Perception roll against your Stealth (Disguise)/Awareness.

Farmer Skills: Athletics, Etiquette, Craft, Hunting, Nofujutsu, Yarijutsu. This persona can also be used to simulate an ashigaru, doshin, or servant. Your Glory is considered 0 while in this persona.

Merchant Skills: Commerce, Craft, Etiquette, Law, Sincerity, Underworld Lore. This persona can also be used to simulate a criminal or gambler. Your Glory is considered 0 while in this persona, or you may choose to have Infamy 1.

Geisha Skills: Artisan, Commerce, Etiquette, Oratory, Performance, Sincerity. This persona can also be used to simulate any artist or performer. Your Glory is considered equal to your highest persona Skill Rank, but no higher than your highest Ring.

Gakusho Skills: Choose a Gakusho Basic Discipline and gain its Discipline Skills. Of course, you do not actually gain any Discipline Okuden or Kiho, so be careful lest someone should test your abilities...

Ronin Skills: Athletics, Commerce, Hunting, Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, Yarijutsu. You have a Glory of 0, or Infamy 1. You can learn Ronin Okuden if you have the appropriate profession, but it is attached to your persona and not usable at all outside of it.

Samurai Skills: Choose a Bushi, Teishin, or Shugenja Basic Discipline and gain its Discipline Skills. Of course, you do not actually gain any Discipline Okuden or spells, so be careful lest someone should test your abilities...

Rank 5: The Final Mask: You achieve a mastery over your art so complete that your performance is near perfect, and this mastery extends itself to fully-fleshed individual characters. When someone is trying to pierce through your persona and see the true you, you can spend a Void Point to automatically succeed on the contested roll with Free Raises equal to your Awareness.

Furthermore, you can now attempt to imitate specific individuals instead or archetypes. It requires personal observation to imitate a living person. After observing an individual for about a day, you can attempt to impersonate the individual by making a Performance/Awareness roll (TN 10 x the target's Insight Rank or Threat Rank). You gain a +1k0 to this roll per additional day spent observing to learn what Skills the target knows. If successful you generate a persona specific to the individual with Skills equal to your Discipline Rank at Ranks equal to your Discipline Rank, plus 1 Skill per Raise. You gain all Emphases the target possesses in that Skill, and can increase Skills or buy additional Emphases with a Season Action as normal.

Of course, you do not actually gain any Discipline Okuden or magic, so be careful lest someone should test your abilities...

Draft: Miya Teishin, Otomo Teishin, and Yasuki Teishin.

Here's the next batch. Sorry, still no Outfits.

Miya Teishin Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Miya Teishin

Uji/Profession: Miya Teishin

Benefit: +1 Reflexes

Honor: 3

Skills: Athletics, Bajutsu, Calligraphy, Etiquette, Investigation, Oratory

Outfit:

Okuden

Rank 1, The Heart Speaks: Every uji in Hachigoku has its own customs; you vow to learn them all. When in the lands of an uji unfamiliar to you, you may make an Awareness/Etiquette roll (TN 20) to avoid making any cultural missteps, once per Story. After at least 2 Seasons spent in the uji's territory, you no longer risk making such cultural missteps at all. This applies only to cultural mistakes idiosynchratic to the area, not actual mistakes in traditional etiquette or political miscalculations. Furthermore, you gain Free Raises equal to your Discipline Rank on all Etiquette rolls.

Rank 2, When the Veils Move: Your life belongs to your daimyo, and is not cheaply thrown away. If a Skirmish begins or an attack roll is made against anyone in your presence, you may make an Investigation/Perception roll (TN 20). If you succeed, you put together the facts quickly and anticipate coming events, allowing you to immediately take an Action before the Skirmish begins or attack is made. You must be aware of the people and environment around you in order to take advantage of this ability.

Rank 3, The Heart Listens: Peace and loyalty to the Hantei dynasty cannot easily be denied. As long as you make no threatening moves, even taunts, no one can attack you without spending Honor Points equal to your Discipline Rank or a Void Point. If they do, they may then attack you for the rest of the Scene. Being unable to attack you does not mean they cannot restrain you, or force you into a caged area. After all, resistance would appear threatening.

Rank 4, Piercing the Veils: You may not have indomitable investigative skills like others, but you have an intuitive understanding of the human heart, including its worst inclinations. Anyone who commits acts against you that cause Honor or Glory loss for themselves (such as using Sincerity to lie to you, or using Stealth to sneak attack you unawares) increases their loss by your Honor + Discipline Rank. If they normally are immune to such losses, they still lose Honor or Glory equal to your Honor. In addition, anytime such an attempt against requires a roll, the individual has a -Xk0 penalty, where X is your Honor.

Rank 5, Voice of Emperors: The Miya were proclaimed to be the voice of the Emperor, and their legacy remains your duty. As an Action, once per Scene per target, you may make a contested Oratory/Awareness roll against another's Willpower. You assure them your cause is righteous and just, and the opponent loses Initiative Dice for the rest of the Scene equal to your Awareness. If this lowers their Initiative Dice to 0, they get no Actions until you release them from your injunction. Against Yowamushi you can make a single roll against a group no larger than your Insight Rank.

Otomo Teishin Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Otomo Teishin

Uji/Profession: Otomo Teishin

Benefit: +1 Willpower

Honor: 2

Skills: Games, Investigation, Law, Oratory, Politics, Sincerity

Outfit:

Okuden

Rank 1, Duty Before Honor: Those trained by the Otomo have a sacred duty to defend their daimyo; you have no obligation to anyone else. When making any Etiquette Skill roll, you can use your Law in place of Etiquette. You can still benefit from Etiquette Emphases according to your Law Rank. Furthermore, when using the Intimidation Emphasis of the Sincerity Skill, you can keep your Willpower, and it remains a High Skill.

Rank 2, My Master's Voice: You are required to be your daimyo's eyes and ears. When dealing with any member of your uji, you gain Free Raises equal to your Discipline Rank on all contested Social rolls, and cannot be excluded from any meetings or travels your uji samurai are involved without risking their daimyo's censure. If executing the orders of your superior, you add your Law to all Skill roll totals.

Rank 3, Dividing the Stars: You realize that the best defense is to divide the enemy. If you spend at least ten minutes speaking with someone, you can “slant the facts” to imply the most horrible outcome possible when dealing another individual. When your target and that individual interact, the other individual is considered to have the Bad Reputation Disadvantage for the rest of the Scene. If you spend a Void Point, the Bad Reputation remains for the rest of the Season. When you spend Vendetta Actions, you can spend 2 Vendetta Actions to change an enemy's Glory to Infamy or give a Holding Trouble, negating any benefits it would have given at the end of the Season.

Rank 4, Protection of the Daimyo: You have risen high in your superior's estimation, and has extended his protection to you. No member of your uji, or an uji who owes your uji fealty, may challenge you to a duel, nor attack you, nor otherwise injure you unless they have a higher Glory, the permission of your superior, the permission of a Jade Metsuke, or the permission of a Roju member. If they do so, they lose Glory equal to yours, and then gain Infamy. They may be subjected to ronin-hood, exile, seppuku, or even execution depending on the severity. When leveraging a Holding, you gain twice the normal benefits.

Rank 5, Hand of the Emperors: Your will and your superior's are one, and none is allowed to eclipse their strength. When making contested Social rolls, you may spend a Void Point to succeed automatically with Free Raises equal to your Willpower. You no longer need your superior's permission to begin a Vendetta, and you have become skilled at setting two foes against each other. If you have given Bad Reputations to two individuals, you can start a Vendetta between them at the start of a Season by spending 2 Season Actions. Others can join their forces, but the two individuals have their spies and Vendetta Actions chosen by you for the duration of this Season.

Yasuki Merchant Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Yasuki Merchant

Uji/Profession: Yasuki Teishin

Benefit: +1 Stamina

Honor: 1

Skills: Commerce, Etiquette, Investigation, Law, Nofujutsu, Sincerity

Outfit:

Okuden

Rank 1, Way of the Carp: You trust in the Great River of Koku, as Yasuki herself wrote. When making any Politics Skill roll, you can use your Commerce in place of Politics. You can still benefit from Politics Emphases according to your Commerce Rank. When making contested Social rolls, you add your Commerce to all roll totals. Finally, you lose no Honor or Glory for handling money and engaging in legal mercantile activity.

Rank 2, Following the River: Wealth does not flow towards you; you must be willing to set out on the long, weary road alongside the Great River. You can double the overland travel speed of yourself and a number of other individuals equal to your Discipline Rank x 5. If traveling through settled territory in Hachigoku, you triple your overland speed, unerringly knowing the best roads and easiest border checkpoints. Additionally, you add your Earth to your TN to be Hit and all Active Defense roll totals. Not all roads are safe. Finally, you can leverage any koku-costing holding for shelter for free.

Rank 3, Shimmering Scales: You cannot be easily fooled by gilded words or merchandise. You gain +Xk0 bonus on all contested rolls involving Awareness and Perception, where X equals your Discipline Rank. When targeted by a Vendetta, you can alter the names learned by a shinobi, be it of Holdings or people. The shinobi still learns the name of a Holding or person close to you, but you designate what person or Holding is discovered; it may be one already known, alerting the enemy to your meddling, so choose carefully. This does not reveal to whom this information is now known, but it does alert you to being targeted by a Vendetta at the end of the Season.

Rank 4, Treasures of the Carp: You know how to make the most out of your resources. Whenever you use koku to augment a Commerce roll, you double the benefit. When you leverage a Holding, you gain double the usual benefits.

Rank 5, Master of the River: Your wealth overflows, and your allies reap the benefits. You can grant the benefits of your abilities to double Holding benefits and alter information learned by shinobi in a Vendetta to a number of other individuals per Season equal to your Discipline Rank. Finally, you can spend a Void Point to automatically succeed on any Commerce roll with a TN less than your Glory x 5.

Draft: Doji Teishin, Ikoma Teishin, and Kitsuki Teishin.

Here are the Doji, Ikoma, and Kitsuki.

Doji Teishin Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Doji Teishin

Uji/Profession: Doji Teishin

Benefit: +1 Awareness

Honor: 3

Skills: Artisan, Calligraphy, Etiquette, Oratory, Politics, Sincerity

Outfit:

Okuden

Rank 1, Soul of Honor: Cultivation of the highest precepts is the key to social grace. You add your Honor x 2 to all Social roll totals, and reduce all Honor Point losses by your Discipline Rank.

Rank 2, Whispers from the Soul: Finding harmony with your own soul gives insight into the souls of others. After ten minutes of conversation with an individual, you may spend an Honor Point to know the Honor of the individual. Once you know another's Honor, you gain Free Raises on all contested Social rolls equal to their Honor.

Rank 3, The Perfect Gift: A Doji always knows the finest gifts and favors to give, and strives for the influence necessary to procure them. You can spend a Season Action to give a Granted Advantage to another individual until the end of the season. Additionally, whenever someone in your presence gains Honor Points, you may spend an Honor Point to increase the gain by your Discipline Rank.

Rank 4, Test of Honor: It is not steel that protects one best: it is honor. Whenever a foe attempts to attack you in combat or initiate a contested Social roll, you can spend 2 Honor Points to force the foe to roll their Honor (TN 20). If they fail, your virtue overcomes them and they cannot attempt any other hostile Actions or contested rolls against you for the rest of the Scene. They can overcome this limitation by sacrificing an Honor Rank. If they have 0 Honor, or no Honor at all, they cannot be affected by this Okuden. Furthermore, Advantages you give with your Rank 3 Okuden are now permanent (unless events remove them in during the course of a Story).

Rank 5, My Lady's Grace: The grace of Doji protects you, and those around you. You can spend a Season Action to remove a Granted Disadvantage from an individual, unless they wish otherwise. When targeted by a Vendetta, or in a force targeted, you reduce the number of Vendetta Actions the enemy may take at the end of the Season by your Honor.

Ikoma Teishin Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Ikoma Teishin

Uji/Profession: Ikoma Teishin

Benefit: +1 Intelligence

Honor: 2

Skills: Athletics, Battle, Etiquette, Iaijutsu, Kenjutsu, Oratory

Outfit:

Okuden

Rank 1, Taking the Measure: You survey court like a bushi surveys the terrain on a battlefield. When making any Politics Skill roll, you can use your Battle in place of Politics. You can still benefit from Politics Emphases according to your Battle Rank. When making contested Social rolls, you add your Glory to all roll totals.

Rank 2, Ikoma's Boast: The ferocity of Akodo pushes you to new heights of glory. Whenever you or anyone in your presence gains Glory Points, you can make an Oratory (Bragging)/Glory roll to increase the gain by your Discipline Rank. When in combat, those you designate as allies (individuals up to your Glory + Intelligence) add your Glory to all attack roll totals.

Rank 3, Ikoma's Cunning: The cunning of Ikoma is legendary, his quick wits turning escape to victory time and time again. Whenever you make a Social roll, you may spend a Glory Point to replace the Trait or Ring used with your Intelligence. Also, you gain a bonus to your TN to be Hit equal to your Intelligence x 2 at all times.

Rank 4, Brilliant Glory: Samurai across Hachigoku recognize the brilliance of the Ikoma and the honors they bestow on their favored. Normally, your Glory is limited by your highest Ring. Your maximum Glory is instead limited by your highest Ring + Discipline Rank. You can extend this benefit to another individual by spending a Season Action, and can “cover” a number of individuals up to your Intelligence. When anyone in your presence loses Glory Points, you may spend a Glory Point to reduce loss by your Discipline Rank.

Rank 5, Glory Is Eternal: You allow none to demean greatness. When involved in a Duel, Vendetta, or Battle, neither you nor any force you are a part of can lose Glory. When in combat, you may make Oratory (Bragging)/Glory rolls as Active Defenses.

Kitsuki Teishin Gakuen

Basic Discipline: Kitsuki Teishin

Uji/Profession: Kitsuki Teishin

Benefit: +1 Perception

Honor: 2

Skills: Etiquette, Games, Investigation, Law, Lore, Meditation

Outfit:

Foci: Investigation, Truth, anti-Trouble

Okuden

Rank 1, Kitsuki's Method: Agasha Kitsuki's reliance on his own perception versus traditional testimony lives on in you. When making any Politics Skill roll, you can use your Investigation in place of Politics. You can still benefit from Politics Emphases according to your Investigation Rank. When making contested Social rolls, you add your Perception to all roll totals.

Rank 2, Wisdom the Wind Brings: Your dogged tenacity to follow clues leads you to startling conclusions. When making Mental Trait rolls to define the setting with Bonus Effects (How do they act? What do I know? What do I see? No.), you gain Free Raises equal to your Discipline Rank. After spending ten minutes in conversation with an individual, you may make a contested Awareness roll to learn the individual's lowest Trait Rank. This can only be done once per Story, and you can learn of an additional Trait Rank per Raise.

Rank 3, Finding the Path: The world is full of false roads and dead ends, but your training keeps you on the right path. You may spend a Void Point when making a Discipline Skill roll to automatically succeed with no Raises, except for Free Raises. You cannot do this if it is a contested roll. If your enemy in a Vendetta has Infamy, you gain additional spies equal to your Discipline Rank.

Rank 4, Know the Rhythm of the Heart: It is almost impossible to lie to you. You can now succeed automatically on Discipline Skill rolls even if they are contested rolls, with no Raises except Free Raises, by spending a Void Point. In addition, if involved in a Vendetta you gain reverse spies equal to your Discipline Rank.

Rank 5, Eyes Betray the Heart: Your keen eyes wither the strongest resolve. Whenever someone attempts to lie to you or mislead you in person, you instantly know. This doesn't tell you the truth, but it does let you know what is false, and the reason why Agasha Kitsuki is infamous for sticking to “yes or no” questions. Further, if an individual fails a contested roll against you and spent a Void Point doing so, you gain the Void Point.