NPCs: Developing Stat Blocks

The cool thing about working on a project on your own time at your own pace with no set schedule is jumping from one part to another when something being worked on feels stale.

So I've been working on the NPC section. First I statted up Bushi Yowamushi for each Basic Discipline, Path Discipline, and a couple of Advanced Discipline. Then I started translating the major Kuge characters from old L5R books.

Here's Hida Kisada. He's a frigging MONSTER. But then, he's the Great Bear, and pretty much the upper limit for most NPCs.

Hida no Hida Kisada, Hida Daimyo, “The Great Bear”

Rings: Air 3, Earth 9, Fire 5, Water 3 (Strength 6), Void 4

Skills: Athletics 10: Active Defense 10k5 + Free Raise, Battle 8 (Logistics): 8k3 + Free Raise, Etiquette 4: 3k3+6, Hunting 8 (Traps): 8k3 + Free Raise, Jiujutsu 10: 10k5+9 + Free Raise (Damage: 7k1+9, 8k2+9 vs. Taint), Kenjutsu 9: 10k5+9 + Free Raise (Katana Damage: 9k2+9, 10k3+9 vs. Taint), Kyujutsu 5: 5k3+9 + Free Raise (Yumi Damage: 3k2+9, 4k3+9 vs. Taint), Law 6: 6k5 + Free Raise, Lore (History) 7: 7k5 + Free Raise, Politics (Mon Heraldry) 4: 3k5+6, Sincerity (Intimidation) 8: 7k3+6 + Free Raise (7k6+14 + Free Raise if Intimidating), Shadowlands Lore 10 (Ogre, Oni, Strategy): 10k5 + Free Raise, Subojutsu (Tetsubo) 10: 10k6+9 + Free Raise + ignore armor (Tetsubo Damage: 8k3+9, 9k4+9 vs. Taint), Sumai 10 (Dance, Grapple): 10k5+9 + Free Raise (Damage: 7k1+9, 8k2+9 vs. Taint), Theology (Shintao) 5: 5k5 + Free Raise

Qualities: Brash (resist being insulted: Honor Roll TN 20), Clear Thinker (lie or confuse you: -1k0), Crab Hands (Bujutsu Skill rolls: +1k0), Large (melee damage rolls: +1k0; non-Bugei social rolls: -1k0), Permanent Wound (+0 Wound level filled), Strength of the Earth (Wound Penalties +Earth dice)

Honor: 2, Glory: 9, Insight: 334, Insight Rank: 9, Initiative: 4k4, TN to be Hit: 33 (no armor), 43 (heavy armor), Carapace: 9, Fear: 9 vs. Taint

Discipline Ranks: 9 (Hida Bushi 5: + Earth to attack/damage rolls; no heavy armor penalties; spend 1 VP, Earth roll to ignore Wounds; +1 attack; +1 Battle Action if outnumbered; spend Action to prepare for automatic retaliation; spend 1 VP to take Actions at Down, Out, or Dead) (Defender of the Wall 3: Tainted foes do not have exploding 10's; +1k1 damage vs. Taint; + Earth x 2 to TN to be Hit; +1 attack vs. Taint) (Raikuto Sumatori: Focus equal to Strength in Sumai duel; + Strength to Social Skill roll totals)

Wounds: 18 (Filled); 36 (-0k0); 54 (-0k0); 72 (-0k0); 90 (-0k0); 108 (Down); 126 (Out); 144 (Dead)

Scary, ne? But the funny thing was, I developed this format after a much clunkier, way too much info and space-consuming inferior one for the Yowamushi.

Here's a Yowamushi in old format.

Shiba Bushi (TR 2)

Honor: 3

Skills: Defense, Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, Meditation, Theology, Yarijutsu

Initiative: 2k2

TN to be Hit: 10 (no armor), 15 (light armor)

Katana: Attack 3k2+2/Damage 3k2+2

Wakizashi: Attack 3k2+2/Damage 2k2+2

Naginata: Attack 3k2+2 (4k2+2 in first round)/Damage 2k3+2

Yumi: Attack 3k2+2/Damage 4k2+2

Unarmed: Attack 1k2+2/Damage 1k1+2

Active Defense: 3k2

Battle: 1k2

Okuden

Rank 1, Way of the Phoenix: The insight and wisdom of the Phoenix flows through you. You gain a bonus to your attack and damage roll totals equal to your Void. In addition, you add your Honor Rank to the number of Wounds each Wound Level can hold.

Looks pretty simple, until you up the Threat Rating and add more Okuden or, Fortunes forbid, some Qualities. Then you get...

Shiba Shireikan (TR 5)

Honor: 3

Skills: Defense, Kenjutsu, Kyujutsu, Meditation, Theology, Yarijutsu

Initiative: 5k5

TN to be Hit: 25 (no armor), 30 (light armor)

Katana: Attack 6k5+5 + Free Raise/Damage 3k2+5

Wakizashi: Attack 6k5+5 + Free Raise/Damage 2k2+3

Naginata: Attack 6k5+5 + Free Raise (6k5+5 in first round)/Damage 2k3+5

Yumi: Attack 6k5+5/Damage 4k2+5

Unarmed: Attack 1k5+5/Damage 1k1+5

Active Defense: 6k5 + 4 Free Raises

Battle: 1k4

Okuden

Rank 1, Way of the Phoenix: The insight and wisdom of the Phoenix flows through you. You gain a bonus to your attack and damage roll totals equal to your Void. In addition, you add your Honor Rank to the number of Wounds each Wound Level can hold.

Rank 2, One With Nothing: The calm of the Void guides your movements. When on Full Defense, you can spend a Void Point to gain Actions in the Phase equal to your Discipline Rank. These Actions cannot be spent to make attacks, but do not end your Full Defense unless you wish. In addition, you can spend as many Void Points on enhancing a roll as you wish, up to your Void Ring.

Rank 3, A Single Life: Your life does not belong to you; it belongs to the service and protection of others. When on Full Defense, instead of the normal benefits, you can spend an Action to intercept any attack against someone within melee range; the target of the attack becomes you, blocking the original attack with your body. This is not considered a use of the Guard maneuver. In addition, you gain Free Raises on all Defense Maneuver rolls equal to your Discipline Rank.

Rank 4, Everywhere and Nowhere at Once: The Void moves your weapon where it needs to be. When you spend an Action to make an attack, you can also make an additional attack.

So now I get to have fun returning to the Yowamushi and re-editing everything to look more like Hida Kisada Format. So a Yowamushi looks more like this:

Akodo Bushi (TR 2)

Skills: Bajutsu: 3k2, Battle: 3k2, Etiquette: 3k2, Kenjutsu: 3k2 + ignore armor or Free Raise (Katana Damage: 3k2), Kyujutsu: 3k2 + ignore armor or Free Raise (Daikyu Damage: 5k2), Lore: 3k2

Honor: 3; Glory: 1; Initiative: 2k2; TN to be Hit: 10 (no armor), 15 (light armor), 20 (heavy armor)

Discipline Ranks: 1 (Akodo Bushi 1: ignore armor or gain Free Raises = Discipline Rank on attack rolls)

Wounds: 4 (-0k0); 8 (-1k0); 12 (-2k0); 16 (-3k0); 20 (-4k0); 24 (-5k0); 28 (Down); 32 (Out); 36 (Dead)

(Sure, Yowamushi don't need Wound Levels, but if you're player spends a VP to graduate them into full Namae status, it helps to have it handy. We'll talk about the differences between Yowamushi and Namae characters later.)