Hachigoku はちごく 八国: A reworking of the Legend of the Five Rings RPG from both a setting and system viewpoint. I do not claim any ownership of L5R; this is purely a not-for-profit exercise in fun. And you're invited.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Gakusho Preview

Okay, so let's talk about the gakusho. Y'know, the monks. I still feel like I have to qualify "gakusho" whenever I use it until people don't need to have "monk" follow it.

Okay, so below are the factions gakusho are divided up into, the shinden (
"temples") of the Shinsei no Shinden ("Shinsei's Temples"), and their associated Meibutsu.

The Four Shinden: The political center of the Shinsei no Shinden. Meibutsu: Politics (Manipulation).
Osano-wo no Shinden: A fierce shinden devoted to the Fortune of Fire and Thunder. Meibutsu: Yarijutsu (Naginata).
Tengen no Seido: The seido ("shrine") dedicated to the Fortune of Literature and the intelligence arm of the Shinsei no Shinden. Meibutsu: Investigation (Notice).
The Mikokami: The myriad shinden and seido dedicated to the "minor" Fortunes and kami throughout Hachigoku; fractured but free. Meibutsu: Theology (Fortunism).
Seido of Seven Thunders: A contemplative order dedicated to preserving the memory and inspiration of the heroic Seven Thunders, specializing in researching esoteric Elemental theories.
Shinden of the Seven Fortunes: A collection of shinden dedicated to the Seven Lucky Fortunes, and interpreting their spiritual benefits.
Order of Sakura: A loose confederation of shinden throughout Hachigoku that seek out and cloister those with the Shadowlands Taint.

And then there are the Disciplines. Important to note, despite previous incarnations of monks, that a Discipline is not strictly tied to a shinden faction, although some might be more inclined. The Order of Sakura is predominantly tsukai-sagasu, of course, but not entirely so, nor are the Four Shinden completely composed of gakusho advisors.

These are just the basics, sans Okuden. Each Discipline, like shugenja, gets one Okuden at Rank 1, and 2 Kiho. The Asako Henshin and Togashi Ise Zumi are of course special exceptions (don't worry about that now).

Quick descriptions:

Gakusho Advisor: Spiritual and political assistants to others. Often "powers behind the throne."
Gakusho Budoka: Expert martial artists, often vigilantes.
Gakusho Evangelist: Experts in oratory and healing.
Gakusho Scholar: Historians and philosophers among the gakusho.
Gakusho Shinmaki: Esoteric masters of Kiho and meditation.
Gakusho Sohei: Rarely master complicated Kiho or meditate, but highly trained shinden soldiers.
Gakusho Tsukai-sagasu: The "witch-hunters" of Hachigoku who seek out maho-users and those cursed with the Taint.
Asako Henshin: Secretive gakusho among the Asako uji that seek to unravel the Riddle of Man, Shinsei's last secret teaching.
Togashi Ise Zumi: The quixotic, mystically tattooed gakusho of the Togashi uji.
Onnotangu Ninja: A cult of assassins and spies hiding within the Shinden no Shinsei and worshiping Lord Moon.



Discipline
Skills
Honor
Asako Henshin
Athletics
Investigation
Jiujutsu
Lore
Meditation
Theology
3
Gakusho Advisor
Calligraphy
Divination
Etiquette
Politics
Sincerity
Theology
2
Gakusho Budoka
Athletics
Defense
Bojutsu
Jiujutsu
Nofujutsu
Meditation
2
Gakusho Evangelist
Bojutsu
Etiquette
Mediation
Oratory
Sincerity
Theology
3
Gakusho Scholar
Calligraphy
Divination
Lore
Medicine
Meditation
Theology
3
Gakusho Shinmaki
Atemi
Athletics
Craft
Investigation
Jiujutsu
Meditation
3
Gakusho Sohei
Battle
Defense
Kyujutsu
Meditation
Subojutsu
Yarijutsu
1
Gakusho Tsukai-sagasu
Hunting
Investigation
Kenjutsu
Law
Spellcraft
Theology
1
Onnotangu Ninja
Anatomy
Atemi
Meditation
Ninjutsu
Stealth
Theology
0
Togashi Ise Zumi
Athletics
Defense
Games
Kaze-do
Meditation
Theology
2

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