The latest patch notes can always be found at http://houseofjadeleaves.blogspot.com/
New Skills
Iaijutsu is now used more frequently outside of Dueling, which no longer will be just Iaijutsu duels. The TN to quick-draw is lowered to 15. You may use a Reflex/Iaijutsu roll to set the TN of a Surprise roll, instead of the normal Agility/Stealth or Awareness/Deceit roll.
Mastery Benefits are as follows:
Rank 3 - the TN to quick-draw is now 10.
Rank 6 - You made add half of your Iaijutsu skill to your Initiative totals (round up).
Rank 10 - If attacked on your Turn, you may spend a Void Point and use your Action before your attacker strikes you to attack them first. You must have an attack action available and even if you kill your attacker, their attack still lands if they meet your Target Number to be Hit. This uses your action for the Turn, unless you have another attack action available, in which case you may take it as normal (with all wound penalties applied).
Intimidation - This skill uses Awareness as its primary linked Trait. The target number is often the target's Willpower x5. This skill can only be used to Intimidate one target at a time. Success allows a character to bully and cower a target, coercing them to agree to a suggestion or request. This is very rude behavior and is a dishonorable way to act in almost every situation - but it can be very effective. Targets who are Intimidated may make an Honor roll to resist. This is considered a Bugei skill.
Mastery benefits:
Rank 3 - Successful use of this skill causes Fear 1 in the target
Rank 7 - Successful use now causes Fear 2
Rank 10 -Successful use now causes Fear 3
Sumai – A hand-to-hand skill that more closely resembles a form of wrestling than jujutsu. Used by few samurai and a version, stripped of its lethality, is used by sumotori in their wrestling contests.
Mastery benefits:
Rank 3 – Your opponent must make an additional Raise to knock you down. You may use a Free Raise to knock someone down with this skill.
Rank 6 – While Grappling, you receive a Free Raise for all Grappling –related rolls
Rank 10 – While Grappling, you receive three Free Raises to either gain or maintain control of a Grapple.
New Advantages/Disadvantages
There are three new locations at play inside the Empire – the ancient lands of Shen Zhou, the smaller islands of Ryuku off the coast of Rokugan and the foreign nation of Utrecht. Each of these locations provides new Advantages and Disadvantages selectable upon character creation.
Shen Zhou - The Middle Kingdom, ancient mainland culture. Just like in the real world, Shen Zhou has had a great influence upon Rokugan. The religion of the Fortunes arose their and spread to the Empire, along with the first true martial arts. Trade is still ongoing and several countrymen can be found inside the Empire at any one time. Some of them are renowned swordsmen and men of martial skill.
Disadvantage: Shen Zhou - 2pts.
You are from Shen Zhou, a wanderer who has decided to call Rokugan home. Though their has been trade and communication between Rokugan and the Middle Kingdom for several hundred years, you are not Rokugani and you can expect that fact to be used against you.
Advantage: Shen Zhou training - 4pts.
You have received training in a martial school from the Middle Kingdom. This allows you to purchase one of the following skills: Mai Chong, Sang Kauw, Vajra, or Shen Zhou Spear technique. Buying this Advantage allows you to incorporate your new weapon into your existing School’s techniques, unless those techniques specifically require a sword. Spending the points in this Advantage gives you the Skill of your choice at Rank 1, which can then be raised normally. In addition, this makes you immune to the Know the School skill, even if your opponent would normally be able to Know your School, because of your introduction of an unknown element into the mix.
Ryuku - the Islands of Ryuku lie to the Southwest of Rokugan. They are not easily accessible, as one must sail either from the only port on the Western side south, or from the East, south around the Crab Cliffs, to reach them. They are/were an independent kingdom with their own culture, language and identity that stays close to but deviates slightly from the Rokugani norm. It’s impossible to tell a Ryukan by looking at them - but Rokugani believe they can tell the difference by their bad behavior and crude language. Anyone assumed to or proved to be Ryukan is looked down upon.
Disadvantage: Ryuku Ancestry 2pts.
You are either Ryukan by birth or one of your parents is/was from the Ryukan islands. If discovered, you will be treated differently and your Glory will not be as recognized by some.
Utrecht - The nation East of Rokugan, over the sea. Harbingers of change, bringing new religion, ideas and weapons to Rokugan.
Disadvantage: Utrecht native 10pts.
You are Nanbanjin, barbarian, outsider. You are considered unruly, uncouth and stupid. Rokugani natives are appalled at your behavior, your speech, your manners and even your odor. Many consider you to be slightly better than an animal and completely incapable of understand Rokugani customs and language. You, of course, are in a land that follows bizarre rules that always seem to change with a people who say they respect truth but only lie to each other. Everything you do is wrong in their eyes and you are most often at a complete loss as how to make it right. While you have significant drawbacks, you can try to turn them on their ear by finding your place in Rokugani culture - if you do so, your place in history will be forever remembered - but you will never be Rokugani.
Advantage: Flintlock pistol or musket - 2pts or 4pts
You have acquired an Utrecht pistol (2pts) or a musket (4pts) and the Firearms skill at one point, which may be raised normally. Flintlock pistols are a 4k2 weapon and muskets are a 5k3 weapon which completely ignores armor. Reloading takes two rounds, but can be reduced to one round with a Agility/Firearms roll at TN 25. This Advantage may only be purchased by Crane characters at the start of the campaign.
House Rules
Raises:
Free Raises may be used to add +5 to any roll. In some rules this is referred to as using a Raise to "Lower an opponent's TNtBH." This is erroneous - you are not lowering their TN, you are adding +5 to your roll. This can ONLY be done with a Free Raise and can be done on any action you would be able to apply a Free Raise on.
You may Raise a number of times equal to your Void on any Trait or Ring roll, or up to the number of times equal to your Void OR your Skill rating on a Skill roll. Free Raises are not counted as part of this limitation. Thus, if you have a Kenjutsu skill of 5 and have 2 Free Raises to apply, you could achieve a maximum of 7 Raises on that roll - 5 is the Maximum for your Skill, 2 are Free.
Kata:
Kata will not be used in our campaign. Please refrain from spending points during character creation on kata. No NPCs will be using kata.
Combat:
Drawing a weapon is considered to be an action that takes the full round unless you can make a successful iaijutsu roll, in which case it is a free action, allowing you to attack in the same round.
Attacking from prone requires either two raises or an iaijutsu roll can be made as your attack roll. Either option returns you to a standing position, in the Attack Posture.
Delaying your turn inside of a Combat Round:
A character may Delay his action if he does not wish to act. He may act immediately AFTER another character normally. Example - Bayushi Bob is waiting for Kakita Ken to show hostile intent before acting. Bayushi Bob has won Initiative - he may delay his action until after Kakita Ken has acted, then act IMMEDIATELY after, before the NEXT CHARACTER in Initiative order has his Turn.
If a Delaying character wishes to PREEMPTIVELY ACT before a character below him in Initiative order, he may do so by making a Contested Battle/Perception roll against that character. If the Delaying character wins, he acts before the declared action is attempted. If he fails, he acts after, just as if he had delayed normally.
Example: Bayushi Bob is waiting for Kakita Ken to declare hostile intent before he acts. He Delays during his Turn. Kakita Ken, who has lower Initiative, declares his action on his Turn - "I attack the Scorpion Daimyo!" Bayushi Bob would like to stop this from happening. He makes a Contested Perception/Battle roll with Kakita Ken. If Bayushi Bob wins, he may act BEFORE Kakita Ken does on Kakita Ken's turn. If Bayushi Bob looses, he will act AFTER Kakita Ken on Kakita Ken's turn, as he Delayed his action until Kakita Ken's turn. Kakita Ken's player MUST continue with the Declared action unless he is stopped. If Bayushi Bob wins the Contested Perception/Battle roll, his action may prevent Kakita Ken from attacking the daimyo. If Bayushi Bob fails the roll, Kakita Ken CANNOT change his declared action - you cannot use this rule to "psyche" a character. Your Declared Action must be your Action - Kakita Ken cannot Declare the attack, come to a sudden realization of the forces against him like secret Scorpion attacks and then change his mind to avoid those consequences.
You cannot Delay an action past Initiative Order 0, barring any special exemptions from Techniques, Advantages, etc. Once Initiative Order 0 is over, a Tide of Battle Roll is made and the Turn Order starts over again at the current or adjusted Initiative Order.
Example - Bayushi Bob has a 30 Initiative, Kakita Ken has a 20 Initiative and Shiba Sam has a 10 Initiative. On his Turn, Bayushi Bob can Delay his action, then attempt to act on EITHER Kakita Ken or Shiba Sam's Turns. Kakita Ken can Delay and attempt to act on Shiba Sam's turn. Shiba Sam could Delay, but the Turn Order ends after his Turn, so there is no point in his use of Delay. Once all three of these characters involved in this Skirmish have acted, a Tide of Battle Roll is made, initiative is adjusted, and a new Combat Round begins. Poor Shiba Sam is simply too slow to "get the drop on" Bayushi Bob, barring Tide of Battle or other effects changing their Initiative scores.
Grappling:
Extra Attacks from Techniques are not applicable in a Grapple. You may make 4 Raises as normal to gain an extra action. Each action in this case is resolved independently and in order.
Grappling is initiated with as an attack using your Trait/Unarmed Skill (Agility/Jujutsu or Strength/Sumai) against an opponent's TNTBH minus their armor. Success initiates the Grapple.
Upon a successful Grapple, a Contested roll is made between the Attacker and the Opponent using Trait/Unarmed Skill against Trait/Unarmed Skill. If either has the Grapple Emphasis, they may add it to this roll. The combatant who wins this contested roll gains control of the Grapple.
As a Controller, a combatant may:
Do his normal unarmed damage OR do weapon damage if a weapon is involved
Render Unconscious - The Controller may roll his Trait/Unarmed Skill as a contested roll to the opponent's Trait/Unarmed skill. If the Controller wins 3 consecutive rolls over 3 consecutive rounds, he renders the opponent Unconscious.
Disarm - The Controller engages in a Contested roll using his Trait/Unarmed Skill against the Opponent's Strength + Weapon skill. If he succeeds, he disarms his foe and the weapon lands within five feet of the grapple. If he succeeds by +10, he gains control of the weapon. If he succeeds by +15 or more, he may attack the Opponent with the weapon as well as gain and retain control of the weapon.
Restrain - The Controller prevents the Opponent from moving or acting.
Throw - The Controller may Throw the opponent, inflicting normal unarmed damage. The Opponent lands 5 feet away.
Each round, the Opponent may fight to either gain control of the Grapple or escape the Grapple. On his turn, the Opponent engages in a Contested roll with the Controller just as when the Grapple was initiated - Trait/Unarmed Skill vs. Trait/Unarmed Skill. The winner becomes the Controller and may choose to End the Grapple or use any of the options open to the Controller during his next Turn.
Dueling:
Samurai who engage in an official, one-on-one duel use the following rules to start said duel. Once the first blows are exchanged, combat becomes a normal Skirmish, following all of the normal combat rules detailed in the main rulebook.
Dueling starts with:
Show me your stance - the samurai drop into a stance, often shifting from one stance to another stance as part of the duel - this is to both determine your opponent's level of skill and to disguise your own.
Both samurai make a Perception/Kenjutsu roll - this roll can be replaced with Iaijutsu, per the Way of the Crane Technique. If you have the Know the School Skill and have determined the School of your opponent ahead of time, you may add your Rank in that Skill to this roll. The TN of this roll is 15. Those who beat this TN can determine the Kenjutsu Skill, Iaijutsu skill, School, Rank, Reflexes or Agility of his opponent. For each Raise made, the samurai can learn one additional item.
Observers may also make this roll for either or both combatants. If they choose to learn about both, two rolls must be made, one for each participant.
At this point, a samurai can concede without loosing, if he so wishes.
Each samurai then may choose to either Intimidate his opponent or Focus, he may not do both.
To Intimidate, roll Awareness/Intimidation at a TN equal to your opponent's Willpower x5. You may Raise on this roll. Success increases your TNtBH by +5. Each Raise also increases your TNtBH by +5. The Fear effect caused by the Mastery bonuses of Intimidation do not apply to this specific roll.
To Focus, roll Willpower/Kenjutsu (Crane may replace with Iaijutsu, per WoTC) at a TN equal to your opponent's Awareness x5. You may Raise on this roll. Success increases your roll to hit your opponent by +5. Each Raise also increases the total of your attack roll by +5.
At this point, a samurai can concede if he so wishes, but he will be considered the looser of the duel and will be admitting his opponent is the better swordsman.
At this point, if the samurai wish to continue, a special Initiative roll is made. If the samurai starts the duel with his sword sheathed, his roll will be Agility/Iaijutsu (Mirumoto may replace with Kenjutsu, as normal). If the samurai chooses to start the duel with sword unsheathed, it is an Agility/Kenjutsu roll (Kakita-trained characters replace with Iaijutsu per WoTC).
Combat reflexes will not apply to this roll.
The winner of this Initiative roll attacks his opponent, using his Agility/Kenjutsu (or Iaijutsu, for Crane characters) at his normal TN including any armor, plus the amount added via Intimidation. If you Focused, add your Focus total to your roll. You may Raise on this roll as you would any other attack roll. School Techniques apply to this roll.
If you successfully hit, you may roll damage, if you wish. You may also refrain from rolling damage, if this is not a duel to the death or to first blood. Samurai "dueling" with boken or shinai need not actually strike each other to know who won. You may also roll and keep only your lowest dice, if you choose to limit damage, as in a first blood duel. You may increase damage as you would with any other roll. If you choose to use Void to increase damage on this roll - 1 point for an additional 1k1 damage - you are not limited to using only 1 Void. You may use as many Void points as you wish to increase the damage you roll. If your opponent survives and desires to strike back, he makes an attack roll against you suffering all wound penalties you have inflicted. If he strikes, he rolls damage if he so chooses and may also increase with Void, 1k1 per point, for as many points as he has.
If you miss, your opponent attacks you, with the same rules. If you go first and miss, you do not get a chance to strike back at your opponent.
If both of you miss, or both of you strike and are still standing, this becomes a normal Skirmish, with Initiative order set by the Agility/Weapon Skill roll. If one or both parties are not Wounded, they may roll for Tides of Battle as normal.
Weapons other than swords can be used to duel (though it is unorthodox and may be dishonorable to some). Simply replace Kenjutsu or Iaijutsu with the appropriate weapon skill.
Characters are considered to be in the Dueling Posture from when they engage in Show Me Your Stance until the end of the duel or until their first round of Skirmish combat, at which point they will declare their Postures in Initiative order.
Magic:
Innate Ability - Turning a spell into an Innate Ability still costs experience, however these Innate Abilities are now included into your Insight Total, just like your Skills. Sense, Commune, Summon or any other Innate Ability granted to a shugenja at character creation do NOT count towards this total.
Counterspell:
Counterspelling is no longer a Contested roll.
In order to Counterspell, you must:
Be Delaying your action.
Have a Spell Slot Available.
Be Aware that a Spell is being cast.
Upon deciding to Counterspell, you must determine what Element is being used to cast the Spell. You may either Guess or make a Intelligence/Spellcraft roll at a TN equal to the TN needed to cast the Spell you are countering (10 + (Mastery Level of the Spell x 5) ). If you use the Spellcraft option, your TN to Counterspell increases by +10. If you fail this roll, you may guess, but the +10 to your TN still applies.
The TN is equal to the normal number needed to cast a Mastery Level of the spell being cast, plus the Spellcraft penalty if it applies and you MUST Raise a number of times needed to bring the casting cost of the spell down to one Turn - each Raise adding +5 to the TN as normal. Free Raises can be used to offset this.
If you successfully meet that TN, the Counterspell counts as a Element spell of the Element opposed to the Spell you are Countering, with a Mastery level equal to the Spell you are Countering. You must be able to cast a spell at this Mastery level or the Counterspell will fail.
Elemental Counters: Air and Earth Counter each other, Fire and Water Counter each other, Void Counters Void.
Example: Isawa Isaac his a 30 Initiative, Kuni Katie has a 20 Initiative. Isawa Isaac chooses to Delay his turn in order to attempt to Counterspell Kuni Katie.
On Initiative Order 20, Kuni Katie attempts to cast Fires From Within, a Fire Spell with a Mastery level of 2. She makes her roll as normal, because if Isawa Isaac fails, her spell will go off as normal. She rolls a 25, beating the TN of 20 to cast a Mastery level 2 spell. We'll assume she made no raises, and used the full duration of 2 turns to cast the spell.
Isawa Isaac is aware a spell is being cast, but he is not sure which Element it will be - it's hard to guess what an unpredictable or unknown shugenja may use. Isawa Isaac decides to use his Spellcraft to determine the Element. He rolls his Intelligence/Spellcraft against the TN needed to cast the spell - in this case, it's a 20. He makes it with a 25 - now, he knows it's a Fire Spell, which is countered by Water. He also knows he has a Water spell slot available.
Isawa Isaac's TN to counter this spell is :
20 (The TN based on the Mastery Level of the spell) +10(for using his Spellcraft) +5 (the Raise he needs to use to reduce the Casting time from 2 rounds to 1 round) for a total of 35.
If Isawa Isaac's Counterspell is successful, he will consume one of his water spell slots and Kuni Katie's spell will not function. Kuni Katie will have used her action for her Turn to cast the spell, but that spell was Countered. She still uses a spell slot and her Turn is over.
What would happen if the Mastery Level was too high for Isawa Isaac to cast? Let's say he is capable of casting Mastery Level 4 spells and Kuni Katie decides to unleash Tempest of Fire, a Mastery level 6 Fire spell. Isawa Isaac would make his attempt as normal until after his roll - at that point, the Mastery Level of the spell is known and Isawa Isaac's attempt fails. He still consumes a spell slot of the Element he is using to Counter - Water, in this example, but the massive Spell being used is simply too powerful for him to alter or stop.
Counterspelling is difficult and these numbers grow ridiculous as the Mastery level increases. It is recommended to spend Void on these rolls unless you are very confident of success.
For example: To Counter Kuni Katie's Tempest of Fire, the TN using Spellcraft to identify the Element needed to counter would be at least:
40 (TN based on Mastery Level) +10 (Spellcraft) + 25 (Five Raises needed to reduce casting time to one Turn) for a total of 75.
In addition, when casting a Spell, you may use Raises to Fortify the Spell. Any Shugenja who attempts to Counter your Spell must make a number of Raises equal to those you used to Fortify the spell, in addition to those needed to reduce the casting cost. This is known as Empowering a Spell.
Per our above example: Kuni Katie attempts to cast Fires from Within, but knows Isawa Isaac will most likely attempt to Counter her. She uses two Raises to Fortify her spell, making her own TN 30 (20 Mastery Level, plus 2 Raises at +5 to the TN each) which she beats. That would make Isaac's final roll to Counterspell 45 - the above total, plus the two Raises he would need to Empower his Counterspell.
Finally, to completely bake your brain - Counterspell can be Countered, if another Shugenja is available who can meet these rules.
Example: Yogo Yuri the Scorpion Shugenja asshole has a Initiative of 30, Isawa Isaac has an Initiative of 20, Kuni Katie has an Initiative of 10. Yogo Yuri knows that Kuni Katie is most likely going to try to destroy someone he hates with a spell, but he also knows Isawa Isaac will most likely try to counter it.
Yogo Yuri Delays his action to Isawa Isaac's turn, who Delays his Turn until Kuni Katie's Turn. Kuni Katie declares her desire to cast her Fire Spell, Fires from Within and makes her roll.
At that point, Isawa Isaac attempts to Counter, making his Counterspell a Mastery Level 2 Water Spell.
Yogo Yuri, Scorpion Asshole, then Counters Isawa Isaac's Counter - he will be casting a Mastery Level 2 Fire spell - he is Countering Isaac's Counterspell, which is a Water spell, because it is Countering a Fire Spell.
If Kuni Katie had chosen to use Raises to Fortify her spell, Isawa Isaac would have to meet those Raises in order to Counter her. However, Yogo Yuri does NOT have to meet those Raises - Isawa Isaac's attempt to Empower his spell DOES NOT Fortify it against any other Counterspell attempts. If Isaac wanted to, he could voluntarily use Raises to Fortify his Counterspell, in which cause Yogo Yuri, Scorpion Asshole, would also have to Raise in order to Empower his Counterspell to match Isaac's Raises.
Free Raises can be used on any of these Raises - to offset casting time, Fortify or Empower.
It is rumored that deep within Phoenix lands, a single spell-counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-counter-counterspell skirmish that started when the Empire began is still being calculated and rolled by the GM and Players involved in this spell-related circle-jerk wankery.
