Legend of Five Rings - Recruitment

[Bunny Commando]

The Legend of Five Rings is a roleplaying game where the characters are members of the samurai caste in the fictional land of Rokugan, inspired by feudal Japan. The game will be a mix of published and homemade adventures and will be more episodic in nature, with the character that will travel around Rokugan solving problems and trying to find a balance between their honour and the orders of their Daimyo.

Basic pitch:

Toshi Ranbo wo Shien Shite Reigisaho is a festering wound on the Crane-Lion border: a former possession of the Lion, the Crane seized the city in a daring and bloody raid that left the Empire shocked - the Crane commander, Tsume no Doji Retsu, destroyed the whole Goseki family leaving no survivors; even though years have passed, the Lion didn't forget the murder of an entire family of loyal samurai and is preparing to take back Toshi Ranbo and avenge the deaths of the Goseki. Tsume Retsu, unfazed by the Lion's threat, has invited both enemies and allies at his court to show his strength - courties and diplomats, followed by their yojimbo, have flocked to Tsume's court to gauge where to stand in the coming war.


Here's the Big Sixteen!

1. What game system are you running (D&D, Call of Cthulu, Palladium, GURPS, etc.), and if applicable what edition (Original, Classic, Revised, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 10th, etc.)?
A: Legend of Five Rings Roleplaying Game, 5th Edition.

2. What 'type' or variant of game will it be (i.e. "Shadow Chasers" or "Agents of Psi" for d20 Modern)? What is the setting for the game (e.g. historic period, published or homebrewed campaign setting, alternate reality, modern world, etc.)?
A: The setting of the game is the Emerald Empire of Rokugan, the FFG timeline.

3. How many Players are you looking for? Will you be taking alternates, and if so, how many?
A: Four players would be ideal, I'm willing to recruit more if there's interest though.

4. How fast or slow of a pacing do you want to set? Some games require that players post once a day, every three days, or once a week.
A: Daily posting would be preferable.

5. What is the characters' starting status (i.e. experience level)?
A: Base starting characters.

6. How much gold or other starting funds will the characters begin with?
A: As indicated in the characters' Schools.

7. Are there any particular character classes, professions, orders, etc. that you want... or do not want? What are your rules on 'prestige' and/or homebrewed classes?
A: No Kolat, ninja or gaijin, please.

8. What races, subraces, species, etc. are allowed for your game? Will you allow homebrewed races or species? 'Prestige' races or species?
A: The game has only humans.

9. By what method should Players generate their attributes/ability scores and Hit Points?
A: Please use the Twenty Questions worksheet to generate your character.

10. Does your game use alignment? What are your restrictions, if so?
A: L5R doesn't have alignments.

11. Do you allow multi-classing, or have any particular rules in regards to it?
A: L5R doesn't have multiclassing.

12. Will you be doing all of the die rolling during the course of the game? Will die rolls be altered, or left to the honor system? If players can make die rolls, which ones do they make, how should they make the rolls, and how should they report them?
A: Players should make their own die rolls using the forum's rolling app.

13. Are there any homebrewed or optional/variant rules that your Players should know about? If so, list and explain them, or provide relevant links to learn about these new rules.
A: No homebrew, no house rules.

14. Is a character background required? If so, how big? Are you looking for anything in particular (i.e. the backgrounds all ending up with the characters in the same city)?
A: The Twenty Questions worksheet should give you a rough idea of who your character is, I would like a skirt length background to better understand your character.

15. Does your game involve a lot of hack & slash, puzzle solving, roleplaying, or a combination of the above?
A: Intrigue, investigation and roleplaying will have the lion's share of the game; combat will be fast and brutal.

16. Are your Players restricted to particular rulebooks and supplements, or will you be allowing access to non-standard material? What sources can Players use for their characters?
A: Corebook, Emerald Empire and Shadowlands plus all the free DLC on the FFG website.

Feel free to PM me or write here any questions you might have!

[Daos]

I'm game, if you don't mind the fact that I don't know anything about the rules, the setting or the lore, that is. 

[Zero Prime]

L5R?!?  I'm so down!  I'll look into a character concept, however I've only got L5R 4e, unless you're talking a D&D 5e conversion of L5R.

[GravityEmblem]

Feb 11, 2021 20:07:46 GMT -8 Daos said:

I'm game, if you don't mind the fact that I don't know anything about the rules, the setting or the lore, that is. 

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as Daos. Eager to learn, though!

[Bunny Commando]

Feb 11, 2021 21:34:03 GMT -8 Zero Prime said:

L5R?!?  I'm so down!  I'll look into a character concept, however I've only got L5R 4e, unless you're talking a D&D 5e conversion of L5R.

L5R 5th edition was recently released by FFG - it's their own proprietary system, not a D&D 5E conversion.
You might find the books on The Trove, though; or if you prefer I can send you at least the Corebook.

Feb 11, 2021 20:07:46 GMT -8 Daos said:

I'm game, if you don't mind the fact that I don't know anything about the rules, the setting or the lore, that is. 

Feb 12, 2021 6:21:15 GMT -8 GravityEmblem said:

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as Daos. Eager to learn, though!

You being newbies is not a problem for me. I mean, if I had to play just with people that know the rules and the settings I would probably play alone most of the times.
Let me give you a quick overview of the setting:

The Emerald Empire of Rokugan is inspired by feudal Japan (Sengoku Period), but where the myths of japanese culture are real: you have goblins, Oni, orcs, spirits and magic. Roughly a thousand years earlier the children of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) fell off the Heavens and fought to decide who would rule over the others: Hantei bested his brothers and sisters that then scattered all across Rokugan founding each a Clan that would serve the Hantei bloodline; each Clan has a duty to the Empire and its own culture, also each Clan has its allies and enemies.
However, one of them didn't fell on earth but went straight to Hell (called Jigoku) and was corrupted by the infernal powers. He fought his brothers and sisters for control over Rokugan, but ultimately failed and was defeated but not without leaving a scar on the land: the Shadowlands, where the corruption of Jigoku spills over the mortal world and horrible creatures dwell.

Here the Clans.

- The Crab Clan is sworn to protect the Rokugan from the threat of the Shadowlands; its samurai are brave and determined, but the constant fighting against the monsters of that tainted land had left them soured on the more refined aspect of the Rokugani culture - many consider the Crabs as rude and uncouth, little more than brutes good enough for battle.
- The Crane Clan is home of the best courtiers, diplomats and artists of all Clans (including the art of the sword, the Crane has the best duelists in all Rokugan); they strive to reach perfection in every facet of life and generally prefer peace over violence but many think of the Cranes as pompous and arrogant.
- The Dragon Clan is a mystery for many: where the Rokugani are fond of traditions and conformity, the Dragons value the ability of finding your own path to enlightenment; inside the Dragon Clan you might find priests that combine magic with alchemy, warriors that channel their ki to perform amazing acts of physical prowess and courtiers that can use keen observation to solve any crime.
- The Lion Clan has the solemn duty to protect the Emperor, its samurai some of the best soldiers and military commanders of all the Empire; the Lions live and die by their code of honour - if a Lion says they will do something, you can bet either will succeed or die trying. They're known for being quite aggressive, though.
- The Phoenix Clan is the most peaceful of all Clans, many of its samurai dedicating their whole life to the study of the spirits. Even though many consider them to be passive to the point of cowardice sometimes, the samurai of the Phoenix are the most powerful practicioner of magic in the whole Empire.
- The Scorpion Clan is the Clan of secrets: its samurai will cheat, lie, blackmail, kidnap, murder and in general do whatever's necessary to protect the Empire. You just can't trust a Scorpion, but since the Scorpion knows every little dirty secret no one is willing to make a serious move against the Clan.
- The Unicorn Clan was tasked during the first days of the Empire to explore the lands beyond its borders; the Unicorns have spent centuries traveling abroad and have recently returned, grudgingly accepted by the other Clans. They're unparalleled riders, but having spent so much time outside Rokugan have left them ignorant of many facets of the Rokugani culture.

The Clans fight both on the battlefield and in courts to gain more power and undermine their enemies, but everything has to be done in a proper way. Being rude, being selfish, being dishonourable might hurt a samurai much more than being wounded - a samurai has to follow the Bushido, the code of conduct that every samurai must know by heart (which doesn't mean you HAVE TO BELIEVE in the Bushido, just that people should see you trying to follow it).

Characters belong to a clan and a family, and they should choose their school (the classes of the game). A school would give your character certain skill and abilities and are divided in roles: Bushi (the warrior), Courtier (the diplomat), Shugenja (the priest\mage), Monk (the martial artist\advisor), Shinobi (the spy\assassin); should be noted that the schools will make your character better in a certain set of skills, but it doesn't mean your character can't be proficient in other skills not generally associated to your role - you could play a Shugenja that could be also a quite decent swordsman, for example.

Before roughly explaining the rules, does someone has any question? Something that struck your fancy?

[Zero Prime]

I tried the Trove but their 5e link is broken.  If you could send me a copy I'd appreciate it.

I'm a little tossed up, Crane, Daidoji specifically are usually my go to.  But if the other players go Lion, or Lion affiliated it sounds like we'd be at odds.

Though I do love the Matsu school as well.

[Bunny Commando]

Feb 12, 2021 10:51:35 GMT -8 Zero Prime said:

I tried the Trove but their 5e link is broken.  If you could send me a copy I'd appreciate it.

I'm a little tossed up, Crane, Daidoji specifically are usually my go to.  But if the other players go Lion, or Lion affiliated it sounds like we'd be at odds.

Though I do love the Matsu school as well.

Do not worry, there will be compelling reasons for a Crane and a Lion to work together.

[Daos]

I was leaning toward Crane, as well.  I'm curious as to what a diplomat class looks like.

[GravityEmblem]

I might go Crab--they seem to have some Grey Warden vibes to me.

[Zero Prime]

I know I had a concept here, but it was a rehash of an old character, and I would rather create something fresh ... I know very little about 5E, mechanically, I don't know the best way to make a bushi, or how certain schools interact, or which ring is the most effective.  So I am going to start from scratch with the 20 Questions and work from there.

1. What clan does your character belong to?
    Lion Clan. [+1 Water, +1 Tactics, Status: 35]
2. What family does your character belong to?
    Akodo Family. [+1 Earth, +1 Command, +1 Goverment, Glory: 55, Wealth: 5 Koku]
3. What is your character’s school, and what roles does that school fall into?
    Matsu Beserker School, Bushi.  [+1 Earth, +1 Fire, +1 Command, +1 Fitness, +1 Labor, +1 Martial Arts (Melee), +1 Martial Arts (Unarmed), Honor: 55, Available Techniques: Kata, Ritual, Shuji, Kata: Spinning Blades Style (Rank 2), Shuji: Stirring the Embers, Matsu's Fury (School Ability), Equipment: Ashigaru armor, traveling clothes, daishō (katana and wakizashi), tessen (war fan), knife, yumi (bow), quiver of arrows, traveling pack]
4. How does your character stand out within their school?
    Adaptability & Awareness. [+1 Water]
5. Who is your lord and what is your character’s duty to them? (Select Giri)
    T.B.A.
6. What does your character long for, and how might this impede their duty? (Select Ninjō)
    T.B.A.
7. What is your character’s relationship with their clan?
    Discovered aspects of life that fundamentally disagree with a strictly martial view of the world [+1 Courtesy]
8. What does your character think of Bushidō?
    Traditionalist. [+10 Honor; Honor: 65]
9. What is your character’s greatest accomplishment so far?
    Earned Matsu Sensei's respect despite father's wishes he attended Akodo Command School. [Distinction: Famously Reliable (Earth)]
10. What holds your character back the most in life?
    Sibling Rivalry. [Adversity: Blackmailed by (Air)]
11. What activity most makes your character feel at peace?
    Relaying events, history and stories to his daughter [Passion: Stories (Earth)]
12. What concern, fear, or foible troubles your character the most?
    Relationship with father after the death of his Dragon wife [Anxiety: Painful Honesty (Air)]
13. Who has your character learned the most from during their life?
    Deceased wife, failed to protect her, after her death redoubled his martial prowess.  [Skill: +1 Martial Art (Melee), Disadvantage: Whispers of Failure (Fire)]
14. What do people notice first upon encountering your character?
    Dragon clan tasuki cord (dueling strap); memento of his deceased wife.
15. How does your character react to stressful situations?
    Uncomfortable in social situations; very rigid, when hands should be relaxed, they are often rigid as eagle talons, white knuckled and tense.  Voice drops to a whisper, and face becomes furrowed when angry, or offended.  Will not tolerate any disrespect to his daughter.
16. What are your character’s preexisting relationships with other clans, families, organizations, and traditions?
    Married to Dragon Clan Family (Family TBA); Wife Slain by Unicorn Clan (Conflict between Lion & Unicorn); Blackmailed by Akodo Sibling (Name TBA); Respected by Matsu Sensei (Matsu family) [Lacquered Armor (Gift from Wife's family)]
17. How would your character’s parents describe them?
    Quiet, insightful, observant. [+1 Sentiment]
18. Who was your character named to honor?
    Samurai Heritage:
    RhshrgeJ1d10=Dynasty Builder [Glory: -3 (52)]
    1d10=Unusual Name
    Ancestor Effect:
    1d10=+1 Performance
19. What is your character’s personal name?
    T.B.A.
20. How should your character die?
    In defense of the Akodo family; exposing his brother's weakness; ensuring a joyful life for his daughter.

---

So a couple questions, 1st naming conventions.  Now, one thing I have always wondered about other's interpretation of L5R with about 30 families split between the seven great clans, is each 'family' in fact a singular family?  Do retainers of the Akodo family, sport the Akodo name?  Or could you have an Akodo bushi with a different name, though obviously not another great family names.  Just curious ...

Secondly, for our Lords and such, do you have NPC's you want us to tie our Giri & Ninjo to, or are we free to come up with those as well?  And finally, is the age of our characters important, as I am considering my bushi as a early 30's bushi.  He's been married, had his wife pass, and is now a single father raising a young (6 yrs or so) daughter ... if that doesn't work within the confines of the adventure let me know.  Also, would Karmic Tie to my daughter be relevent/useful, or is it just flavor and I should shift that advantage for something more ... tangible?




                1d10·1d10·1d10

[Igordragonian]

Is not having the book of the rings an issue?

[Bunny Commando]

First, here's the Corebook, it's on my drive. Take a look, if you want.

Secondly, would you like to play a short, introductory adventure with pre-gen characters? Characters will be young samurai that has to compete in the Topaz Championship, the most prestigious gempukku ceremony of all Rokugan (Gempukku is the ceremony by which all samurai enter adulthood, before that you're considered a child).

Thirdly, let me give you a rough outline of the rules.

The Five Rings are the five attributes of your character: Air, Earth, Fire, Water and Void. They represent how your character approaches problems and challenges, and are both physical and mental parameters.
- Air represents gracefulness and cunning, the character is physically and socially deft and shrewd.
- Earth represents steadiness, the character is physically tough and mentally resilient.
- Fire represents a direct and creative approach, the character is quick and curious.
- Water represents adaptiveness and perceptiveness, the character is flexible and observant.
- Void represents the enlightened approach, the character accepts the nature of all elements without allowing any on them to dominate.

You might ask yourself which Ring would be best to play a Bushi or a Courtier and the answer is: all and none. It really depends on how you picture your character and how you want to roleplay them. A shrewd and manipulative Courtier would have a high Air Ring, while someone that demolishes their opponents' arguments with unflinching logic would have a high Earth Ring. A headstrong Bushi that charges into battle trying to overwhelm their enemy with a flurry of strikes has a high Fire Ring, while a duelist that you can't just pin down because they're always on the move has a good Water Ring.

All Clans have a preferred approach - Scorpions privilege Air, while Crabs like the Earth approach more. So your character would be at least initially more prone to use the preferred approach of their Clan, but you can give your character the direction you want and be sure that your character will perform - it's not like D&D where you can't really play a Wizard with low Intelligence or a Cleric with low Wisdom.

So, how it all works?
When your character wants to do something and I deem necessary a roll, I will ask you which approach you want to use. Some actions would be easier with a certain approach, some would be harder - e.g. you want to convince a staunch traditionalist with little patience, Earth would be much more useful than Air. Then you will roll a number of dice equal the correspondent Ring plus the skill you're using, and keep a number of dice equal to the Ring you're using.

E.g. You're trying to impress a Doji Courtier with your new, flashy kimono so I ask you to roll Fire + Design (yes, you can be a fashion designer and it would be a great character concept); you have Fire 3 and Design 2, so you roll five dice and keep three.

A die has on each side a different symbol: Success, Explosive Success, Opportunity, Strife and Blank. Since we will use normal dice here, we will follow this table:

Dice Faces

Next post I will explain what these symbols mean.

Feb 12, 2021 12:24:42 GMT -8 Daos said:

I was leaning toward Crane, as well.  I'm curious as to what a diplomat class looks like.

One word of advice - just because you're playing a Courtier doesn't mean that you're useless in a fight. A Courtier with points in Martial Arts can be very dangerous in a fight.
Anyway, the Rokugan is a land where etiquette is of paramount importance so being the master of the social game is vital for any group that has to talk a lot. Since the game I would like to run is filled with intrigue, a Courtier would be a great addition to the team.
What a Courtier looks like? Courtiers in the game have access to social techniques that have different effects - e.g. a Doji Courtier could send a message to another Crane in the room while apparently talking about the weather, leaving everyone else none the wiser, or better understand what motivates someone they're talking to.

Feb 12, 2021 12:27:18 GMT -8 GravityEmblem said:

I might go Crab--they seem to have some Grey Warden vibes to me.

The Crab certainly has similarities with the Grey Wardens - they both do a thankless job that will, in the end, result in a gruesome death.
Consider that the Crab Clan isn't composed of just warriors - they have traders, courtiers, explorers, engineers, shugenja (the mage-priests of Rokugan) that help in the war effort of defending the Emerald Empire.

Feb 12, 2021 15:10:16 GMT -8 Zero Prime said:

I know I had a concept here, but it was a rehash of an old character, and I would rather create something fresh ... I know very little about 5E, mechanically, I don't know the best way to make a bushi, or how certain schools interact, or which ring is the most effective.  So I am going to start from scratch with the 20 Questions and work from there.

As I said previously in this post, just go with whatever you feel "right" for your character. Any Ring is effective for your Bushi, it really just depends on how you want to play him.
The Matsu School is great if you want to give your Bushi a bit of a berserker type, the kind of warrior that just doesn't go down and whose martial prowess is fueled by his emotions.

Trust me when I say that I will make sure your character will have their time in the spotlight, so don't focus too much on the mechanics.

If you have questions, ask away!

[Daos]

Feb 14, 2021 16:34:34 GMT -8 Bunny Commando said:

Secondly, would you like to play a short, introductory adventure with pre-gen characters? Characters will be young samurai that has to compete in the Topaz Championship, the most prestigious gempukku ceremony of all Rokugan (Gempukku is the ceremony by which all samurai enter adulthood, before that you're considered a child).

That would be really helpful, yeah.  When jumping into a game I've never played before, I find pregens are a big help for me in figuring stuff out.  I did the same thing with 5E D&D, too; my first character was a pregen.

[Bunny Commando]

Feb 12, 2021 15:10:16 GMT -8 Zero Prime said:

So a couple questions, 1st naming conventions.  Now, one thing I have always wondered about other's interpretation of L5R with about 30 families split between the seven great clans, is each 'family' in fact a singular family?  Do retainers of the Akodo family, sport the Akodo name?  Or could you have an Akodo bushi with a different name, though obviously not another great family names.  Just curious ...

About names: first and foremost, the family name always comes first. Akodo Arasou, Doji Kuwanan, Bayushi Sugai - when you address someone you always put the family name first (unless you're really close, still never in public).
Using just the first name of someone is a blatant insult, it's like saying that samurai is not worthy of being part of their family.

About the families. Most samurai of the Akodo sport the Akodo name, but of course there are exceptions. E.g. the Goseki family was part of the Akodo family, and a samurai of that family would sport the name Goseki no Akodo; Tsume no Doji Retsu, the daimyo of Toshi Ranbo, is part of the Doji family but his family name is Tsume.

Feb 12, 2021 15:10:16 GMT -8 Zero Prime said:

Secondly, for our Lords and such, do you have NPC's you want us to tie our Giri & Ninjo to, or are we free to come up with those as well?  And finally, is the age of our characters important, as I am considering my bushi as a early 30's bushi.  He's been married, had his wife pass, and is now a single father raising a young (6 yrs or so) daughter ... if that doesn't work within the confines of the adventure let me know.  Also, would Karmic Tie to my daughter be relevent/useful, or is it just flavor and I should shift that advantage for something more ... tangible?

Good question.
Let's say that you can come up with something you like and then I will fine tune it a bit if necessary.

Being tied to your daughter could certainly come up here and there, but consider that children are usually sent to school at six so interactions with your daughter would be limited. If you like the Karmic Tie advantage, we could work something out, here's a suggestion:

Your character is a Bushi, we could say he's a yojimbo (a bodyguard). Your character's wife died while he was away protecting your charge (a classic samurai drama - you couldn't proect your family because you were doing your duty). Even though your character feels guilty, he also feels like there's something deeply spiritual that binds his charge and him (doesn't have to be romantic, of course). We could say that your charge is the one being sent to Toshi Ranbo and that your character had to follow them as their sworn protector.
Karmic Tie won't of course come up every time, but it may come up enough to be worth it.

[GravityEmblem]

I wholeheartedly support the idea of pregens. It's much easier to create a character when you know how the game works.