L5R - Mechanics

[Rain Yupa]

GLOSSARY

1st Post: Glossary
2nd Post: Types of Rolls
3rd Post: Raises
4th Post: Void Points
5th Post: Combat Basics
6th Post: Combat Stances, Actions, & Movement
7th Post: Combat Maneuvers
8th Post: Honor
9th Post: Glory
10th Post: Status
11th Post: Miscellaneous House Rules  

[Rain Yupa]

TYPES OF ROLLS

Skill Rolls

A skill roll happens whenever you are asked to roll a combination of a skill and trait. For instance, a Perception/Investigation, an Awareness/Courtier, an Agility/Kenjutsu, or a Void/Meditation.

If an emphasis applies, it will be listed as follows: Agility/Kenjutsu (Katana). If an emphasis applies to your roll, you add the skill rank to the result of your roll. If you have Agility 3 and Kenjutsu 2, you roll 5k3+2. If you are unsure if an emphasis applies, ask. If I don't call for one and you still think it applies, state it as part of your roll and add it anyways. I'll state if it doesn't apply in my next post, and simply subtract from your roll accordingly to figure things out. Unless you're using the WRONG emphasis, though, it'll probably fly.

If I ever ask for a skill roll, and you have no ranks in that skill, it is an 'untrained skill roll'. Roll your trait as normal, and your dice do not explode.

Raw Trait Rolls

These are called less often than skill rolls, and apply generally only when no skills apply. Lifting a boulder is a Raw Strength Roll. Grabbing something quickly from a table before someone else is Raw Reflexes. To get a feel for someone's mood would be Raw Awareness.

A Raw Trait Roll can always be rolled in place of an untrained skill roll (Raw Agility of 3k3 is the same as untrained Agility/Spears of 3k3, after all). The difference, though, is that the dice of a Raw Trait roll DO explode. The flipside of this is that the TN is always considered 10 higher if you roll a Raw Trait instead (so that TN 10 unskilled 2k2 roll might not be worth doing as a Raw Trait roll).

You are always free to attempt Raw Trait rolls instead of Untrained (or even Trained) skill rolls, but you must state it before you submit your post.

Raw Ring Rolls

Even rarer than Raw Trait Rolls, Raw Ring Rolls will sometimes be called. USUALLY as a result of something magical or supernatural, but not always. The situations will be so rare though that they will have their own set TNs, rather than something modified like a Raw Trait Roll. You only roll Raw Ring Rolls in response to something that specifically calls for it.

Contested Rolls

When you roll to compete against another person or persons in an effort to outperform them, this would be a Contested Roll. In this case, whomever rolls the highest wins. If there's ever a tie whereas an in-game tie result is unfeasible, it is resolved by both players rolling off against each other (though it does not effect their standing between any other competitors).

While rolling a contested roll, you might ALSO still be rolling against a TN. If three samurai are all rolling Awareness/Storytelling (Poetry) to impress a beautiful woman, they might get a 7, 8, and 11. The 11 did better than the 7 and 8, but if the TN to impress her at all was 20, no one technically wins.

Failed Rolls

Under certain circumstances, when a player fails a roll, they may be able to make a second attempt at TN+10. Skill Rolls utilized Intelligence or Perception are exempt from this rule, unless circumstances change int he situation to allow for new information to be provided. Likewise, Skill Rolls used to attack cannot be rerolled; you simply miss.

Cooperative Skill Rolls

A cooperative skill roll is made by a group when engaging in a task with danger of failure. Examples of this is Athletics (Climb) skills to climb a mountain, or Stealth (Sneaking) to avoid detection from a mob of ogres.

There are two methods to do so. The first is where a group works together toward one end, without significant consequences for failure, such as working on a seagoing vessel. One individual is chosen from those participating to make the Skill Roll. He receives a bonus to the total of his/her roll equal to the combined Ranks of all other participants in the Skill in question.

The second method is when one participant's poor performance can impede the entire group. In this case, everyone makes a Skill Roll, but the participant with the single highest rank in the Skill being used grants a bonus equal to his/her Skill Rank to all others making a roll.

Cumulative Skill Rolls

Cumulative Skill Rolls are used to achieve a very difficult success after working on it over a period of time. The TN is often very high, but every roll made to accomplish this goal is added together until the TN is surpassed. For example, if a TN 60 sculpture is being worked on, and the first roll is a 24, the next roll will have a TN 36 to finish the sculpture.

There is a risk of minimum TNs for each roll (possibly resulting in a failure if you fail to meet them), and might require a certain amount of time to pass before you can attempt it again. Cumulative Skill Rolls can also be cooperative, where the cooperative skill result subtracts from the cumulative total.  

[Rain Yupa]

RAISES

What is a Raise?

A Raise is something you make to gain a more solid success. Meeting the TN of a roll is a minimal success. Beating the TN of a roll is a minimal success. Rolling 100 over the TN of a roll is a minimal success. If you ever want more than a minimal result, you'll want to make raises.

However, Raises don't come easy. Each Raise increases the Target Number of your roll by 5. So it's a safer gamble when you know the TN, but you won't always (especially if it turns out to be a contested roll; each raise effectively subtracts 5 to your roll).

When you call a Raise, you should generally state what it's for, unless it said what you'd be raising for before your roll (such as hitting a bullseye with kyujutsu). Here is some examples of what a raise can get you, in different situations:

Courtier - Make a better first impression. Make your argument more persuasive. Help put a rival on the spot. Insinuate someone else specifically as the source of gossip.
Investigation - Find an additional clue. Learn a piece of useful information unrelated to the investigation. Find information subtly/unnoticed. Find information quickly.
Lore: History - Know about the specific skirmishes of a famous battle. Know the names of several key but lesser known samurai involved in an event. Know some trivial additional information about that era. Recalling how current events might be similar to historical ones.
Meditation - Commune with an ancestor while meditating. Be keenly aware of your surroundings during meditation. To meditate during otherwise chaotic surroundings. To 'rest' yourself if you plan on staying up later without sleep.

Certain situations, advantages, skill mastery abilities, or school abilities can grant you Free Raises. A Free Raise can be used in one of two ways: To gain the benefit of a normal raise WITHOUT increasing the TN, or to add +5 to your roll.

The maximum number of raises you can make is limited by your Void Ring. Free Raises do not count against this maximum.

You may not declare raises (called or free) on an unskilled roll. To be able to do so, requires you to spend a Void Point to gain a rank in the skill for one roll (see Void Points).  

[Rain Yupa]

VOID POINTS

Access to Void

What is Void? It is man's connection to the world, to the universe, to the spiritual realms, and to the limitless potential of humanity. Every day, you have a number of void points equal to your Void Ring, which may be used to give yourself a winning edge in an engagement or challenge.

Uses of Void

You may spend a single void point to enhance a single roll. You must declare the use of Void prior to the roll, and unless any ability allows you to do so otherwise, you can never spend more than one void. Here are possible options for you:

• +1k1 to any Skill, Trait, Ring or Spell Casing roll, but not a damage roll.
  
• Increase a rank in a skill from 0 to 1 to avoid unskilled roll penalties.
  
• Reduce the amount of Wounds suffered from one source of damage by 10 (this must be done immediately after the damage roll is announced).
  
• Increase Armor TN by 10 for one round. This is done at the beginning of the combat Round.
  
• Exchange your initiative score with one willing target for the remainder of the current skirmish. This is done at the beginning of a Combat Round. Only one of the two characters needs to spend a Void for this effect to take place.
  
• Increase Initiative Score by 10 for the duration of the current skirmish. This is done at the beginning of the combat Round.

Recovery of Void

There are several ways to regain Void Points. First and foremost, a full night's sleep will restore ALL void points.

Second, use of the Meditation or Tea Ceremony skills will allow you to spend a Rokugani half-hour to regain void points. Note that there are only 12 Rokugani hours in a day.

Finally, if you have three or more dice explode on a single roll, you regain a void point from your burst of inspiration. You may not regain more void points in this fashion than your Void Ring.

If you go over a full day without food and water, you lose the ability to regain Void Points from rest.  

[Rain Yupa]

COMBAT BASICS

The Combat Round

There are three stages to every combat round (lasting 3-10 seconds) - most of the action will be taking place within the second stage. They are as follows:

STAGE 1: Initiative

During the first Round of a skirmish, all participants make an Initiative Roll. The result of this roll determines the order in which all characters will act. An Initiative Roll is only made on a character's first Round of participation in the skirmish, and the resulting Initiative Score is used for the remainder of the skirmish. However, in subsequent Rounds, Initiative Scores may potentially change as a result of different character abilities or situational modifiers. During the first Round of combat, characters also select their Stance immediately before they make their Initiative Roll.

STAGE 2: Turns

When this stage begins, the character with the highest Initiative Score takes their Turn first, and may take any legal Action. A character may choose to delay taking their Turn, and instead allow the character with the next highest Initiative Score to take their Turn. After that, the character who delayed their Turn has a chance to take it or delay again, and so on. Delaying a Turn has no effect on a character's Initiative Score the following Round, and Turns cannot be "saved" from one Round to the next.

If every participant Delays their Turn when the participant with the lowest Initiative Score is reached he/she must take their Turn, then the Round ends. After the first Round of a skirmish, characters may change their Stances at the beginning of their Turn, before taking any Actions. A character only ever has one Turn per Round, regardless of how many Actions he/she may take during the Round.

STAGE 3: Reactions

At the end of a Round, when all characters have taken their Turn, there are certain abilities that take effect as a result of the events in the Round. For example, spell effects that have expired end during the Reaction Stage. All such effects happen simultaneously during Stage 3. Reaction effects, typically generated by Techniques, Spells, or Advantages, are always clearly labeled as such.

Attack & Defense

Any attack against a target is typically a Skill Roll that includes a Weapon Skill. If the result of your attack roll equals or exceeds the target's Armor TN, you hit and roll damage.

Every weapon has a Damage Rating (DR), and you add your Strength to the dice rolled for a weapon's DR. These will inflict wounds upon a target, and as soon as you receive your first wound of a Wound Rank, you apply those penalties. They are as follows:

Healthy - This is the default condition of any character who has not suffered damage. There is no penalty.
Nicked - Increase the TN of all rolls made by +3.
Grazed - Increase the TN of all rolls made by +5.
Hurt - Increase the TN of all rolls made by +10.
Injured - Increase the TN of all rolls made by +15.
Crippled - Increase the TN of all rolls made by +20. Any attempt to make a Move Action is increased by one level of difficulty (Free -> Simple, Simple -> Complex).
Down - Increase the TN of all rolls made by +40. You may only speak in a whisper. You may only take Free Actions unless a particular wound makes such action impossible, you cannot take Move Actions. You must spend a Void Point to be able to take these actions.
Out - You are immobile, unconscious, and likely dying. Once this Rank is filled, any additional damage inflicted to the character kills them immediately.

Wounds are healed at a rate of twice your stamina + your insight rank for every night's rest.  

[Rain Yupa]

COMBAT STANCES, ACTIONS, AND MOVEMENT

Combat Stances

There are five possible stances which one can take in battle. Unless declared otherwise, it is assumed that any individual will be in the Attack Stance.

Attack Stance - The stance tied most closely to the Ring of Water. The character has no restrictions on the kind of Actions he/she may take.

Full Attack Stance - The stance tied most closely to the Ring of Fire. The character may take no Simple or Complex Actions other than those used to make attacks, and may only use Move Actions to get closer to his/her enemies. Characters may not use the Full Attack Stance to deliver ranged attacks. A character in the Full Attack Stance gains a bonus of +2k1 to attack rolls made fhat round, but his/her Armor TN is reduced by 10 to reflect the all-or-nothing nature of the attack.

A character in the Full Attack Stance who takes a Move Action during his/her turn may move an additional 5 feet beyond the normal amount allowed for the Move Action. This bonus movement is granted only once per Round, and the character still may not exceed the normal maximum distance he may normally move in one Round. Full Attack may not be used while mounted.

Defense Stance - The stance tied most closely to the Ring of Air. Defense allows for the greatest freedom of action. Characters in the Defense Stance add their Air Ring plus their Defense Skill Rank to their Armor TN. There are no restrictions on what kind of Actions a character in the Defense Stance may take, other than that they may not attack.

Full Defense Stance - The stance tied most closely to the Ring of Earth. Upon declaration of this Stance, a character in the Full Defense Stance makes a Reflexes/Defense roll and adds half of the total (rounding up) to their Armor TN until the following Turn. This Skill Roll is considered a Complex Action, so a character in this Stance may only take Free Actions.

Center Stance - The stance tied most closely to the Ring of Void. Characters in the Center Stance take no Actions, instead focusing their energy in preparation for the action the following round. A character in the Center Stance forfeits all Actions while in that Stance. On the round following the adoption of the Center Stance, the character gains a bonus of +1k1 + his/her Void Ring on any one roll made during their Turn. The character also adds 10 to the total of his/her Initiative Score for that Round only.

Actions during Combat

During a combat Round, every character may take Actions on their Turn. Although a character's Stance can limit what kind of Actions they may take, in general, a character may take one of the following options:

• One Complex Action + Free Actions
  
• Two Simple Actions + Free Actions

Free Actions are minor activities that do not disrupt a character's ability to perform other tasks during the course of their Turn. Unless otherwise specified, a character may only perform each Free Action a maximum of once per Round.
Simple Actions are more complicated tasks that require more of a character's attention, but not so much that he/she is not capable of taking more than one action at a time.
Complex Actions are elaborate or time-consuming efforts that require all of a character's attention in order to complete.

Example Free Actions

• Draw a weapon (small)
  
• Speak (up to five words)
  
• Move Action (Water x 5 feet)
  
• Pull out a spell scroll
  
• Drop a weapon/item

Example Simple Actions

• Activate a Kata
  
• Draw a weapon (medium or large)
  
• Move Action (Water x 10 feet)
  
• Dismount a horse
  
• Guard someone
  
• Pick up a weapon/item
  
• Put away a spell scroll
  
• Speak (more than five words)
  
• Stand up (from prone)

Example Complex Actions

• Make an attack (melee or ranged)
  
• Cast a Spell
  
• Skill Use (any non-Weapon Skill)
  
• String a bow for use
  
• Mount a horse

Move Actions

As a free action, a character can move up to five times their Water Ring. This increases to ten times their Water Ring as a Simple Action. Though not normally available, some mechanics can require a character to perform specific tasks as a Complex Move Action.

A character may not move more than twenty times their Water Ring in feet per round unless he/she has an ability that increases his/her maximum possible movement per round.

Terrain may inhibit movement, and decrease your effective Water Ring (to a minimum of 1) for movement purposes, as well as apply other penalties.  

[Rain Yupa]

COMBAT MANEUVERS

Raises in Combat

There are certain Maneuvers which you can attempt in combat. Like normal raises, these are limited to your Void Ring.

Called Shot (Variable Raises) - Without the Called Shot Maneuver, it is assumed that an attack will strike the target's torso, but with an increasing number of Raises, smaller and more specific parts of the body can be targeted. A specific limb can be targeted with 1 Raise, a hand or foot with 2 Raises, the head with 3 Raises, or an eye, ear, finger, or other similarly small part with 4 Raises. There is no specific mechanical effect for striking a particular body part in this manner, although individual GMs may rule that a certain amount of damage may sever or destroy the body part in question, and any items held or worn on that part may be dropped or destroyed.

Disarm (3 Raises) - The Disarm Maneuver specifically targets a weapon held by the target, with the intent of knocking it out of the target's grasp. A successful Disarm attack inflicts only 2k1 damage from the jarring impact of the strike, regardless of the weapon used, and characters executing this Maneuver do not add their Strength to the number of rolled damage dice. If the Maneuver is successful, the character and his target make a Contested Strength Roll. If the attacking character wins, the target drops the weapon in question. Weapons with wooden components that are the target of a Disarm Maneuver by weapons with a steel blade may be broken, at the GM's discretion.

Extra Attack (5 Raises) - The ability to make multiple attacks per Turn is normally only granted by powerful School Techniques. This Maneuver allows anyone to gain an extra attack per Turn, however, as long as they have the skill necessary to pull it off. To gain an additional attack, a character must make 5 successful Raises on the first attack roll. These Raises confer no benefits, but if they succeed, the character may immediately make a second attack roll as soon as the first attack has been resolved (including damage). The Extra Attack Maneuver may only be used once per turn. The initial attack in this Maneuver must be successful, but the second may miss without any negative effects.

Feint (2 Raises) - A Feint is an attack that contains, as its first component, a deceptive movement intended to make a target believe that the attack will come from one direction, and then the actual attack comes from another direction, exploiting a hole in the target's defenses opened by their attempt to defend against the initial attack. If the Feint Maneuver is successful, half the amount by which the character's attack roll exceeded the target's Armor TN (taking the 2 Raises for this Maneuver into account) is added to the damage roll for that attack, to a maximum amount equal to five times the character's Insight Rank.

Guard (0 Raises) - Guard is a unique combat Action that does not actually require an attack roll. However, it has been placed here with Maneuvers for convenience, since it is used only in combat. During a skirmish, a character can choose to dedicate himself or herself to protecting another character, making it harder for enemies to attack that person. Guarding is a Simple Action, and you may not take the Guard Action while in the Full Attack Stance. When you declare a Guard Action, you must designate one other person within 5 feet of you. Until your next Turn, any time that person is within 5 feet of you, their Armor TN is increased by 10 and your Armor TN is decreased by 5.

Increased Damage (1 or More Raises) - The simplest of all Maneuvers, an Increased Damage Maneuver adds a bonus of +1k0 to the total of the damage roll that corresponds to the attack. Multiple Raises can be made to gain a larger amount of Increased Damage, but all Raises made in one combat Round count as one effect for the purpose of any mechanics that decrease the number of Raises required.

Knockdown (2 or 4 Raises) - The Knockdown Maneuver is a specialized attack intended to damage an opponent and knock them prone. Because this attack generally targets legs, it is only useable against two- and four-legged opponents (requiring 2 and 4 Raises, respectively). If successful, the attack deals normal damage and forces a Contested Strength Roll between the character and the target. If the character is successful, the target is knocked prone.

The rules for Iaijutsu Dueling, Taryu-Jiai Dueling, and Grappling have been excluded for now, since they are less common than the Combat Maneuvers. I will handle these special situations as they arise in game.

Quote:

Iaijutsu Rules reminder!

A duel is a 3-round affair, and you are considered in Center Stance for all of it (the only time you can really stay in Center Stance for more than a round and get the benefits of it)

First round is Assessment, where you roll Awareness/Iaijutsu (Assessment) vs TN 10 + 5*Insight Rank, and you reveal one of the following, +1 more per raise:

• The opponent's Void
  
• The opponent's Reflexes
  
• The opponent's Iaijutsu Skill
  
• Any emphases the opponent may possess
  
• The opponent's remaining Void Points
  
• The opponent's current Wound Level

If you beat the opponent's roll by 10 or more, even if it did not yield information, the character gets +1k1 for their focus roll.

The second round is Focus, where you try to see weakness in your opponent's stance. The duelists make a Contested Void/Iaijutsu (Focus) roll (+1k1 for being in Center Stance for more than a round; +1k1 if you beat your opponent's Assessment by 10+). If you beat the other's roll by 5 or more, you earn the right to make frist strike, and gains a Free Raise toward their strike roll for every increment of 5 which you beat your opponent's roll. If the result has a difference of less than 5, then a simultaneous Kharmic Strike happens.

The third round is the Strike phase. The duelist who won first strike can make a Reflexes/Iaijutsu roll (+1k1 for Center Stance; +any number of Free Raises earned during the Focus roll) against the opponent's Armor TN. If the second duelist lives (not enough damange, was missed, or was to first blood), they can then attempt a strike in return; however, if they strike in retaliation of 'first blood', it is considered extremely dishonorable. If both miss, then it becomes a standard skirmish (taking a new stance, but getting one +1k1 from leaving Center Stance).

 

[Rain Yupa]

HONOR

What is honor? Honor is the measure of one's ability to uphold Bushido, the tenets that will lead one to an honorable and ultimately, enlightened existence.

Honor is measured by Rank. Characters can range from Rank 0 to Rank 10, with an exact honor of 0.0 - 10.9. In short, they can be summarized as follows:

Honor Rank 0-1: "Honorless Dog"
Honor Rank 2-3: "Untrustworthy"
Honor Rank 4-5: "What Is Expected"
Honor Rank 6-7: "Exceptional"
Honor Rank 8-9: "A Soul Above Question"
Honor Rank 10: "Strength Of A Thousand Ancestors"

The higher one's honor, the better perceived they will be by the samurai caste. However, trying to maintain such strict standards for your own conduct can prove trying. It is harder to gain honor and easier to lose honor with a higher rank, because you are already perceived positively and have little to gain with an untarnished reputation.

Likewise, characters with low honor ranks find it difficult to lose honor, but their honor gains are substantial. Since they are already perceived so poorly, it's not surprising when they act accordingly; however, it is impressive when such an individual rises above their nature and truly act honorably, and will always leave a positive impression upon others.

Ultimately, honor is measured most accurately by how one carries themselves. No one can really convince another samurai how honorable you are - only YOU can do that!

Determining Honor

When you meet someone, first impressions are important. To get a good gauge of another's honor, you can make an Awareness/Lore: Bushido vs TN 30 to determine their Honor Rank.

Uses of Honor

There are some abilities that key off of honor, and those will not be covered here. There are a few options that are available to everyone, though.

The Honor Roll is an option available to reward high honor characters. Once per session/chapter, when you fail at any Skill, Trait, Ring, or Spell Casting Roll, you may use your Honor Roll to reroll the failed roll, using your Honor Rank as the number of rolled and kept dice versus the original TN. If you succeed on the roll, then everything is fine; if you fail, you lose 10 points/1 rank of Honor!

When you are the target of an Intimidation or Temptation Skill roll, you add your Honor Rank to the total of any roll to resist. You also add your Honor to all rolls to resist Fear Effects of any kind.  

[Rain Yupa]

GLORY

What is glory? It is the measure of the tasks and deeds that one has completed in their lifetime. A samurai of high glory has seen much battle, created famous works of art, or completed some task that gave them empire-wide recognition. A samurai of low glory has done little beyond completion of their lord's tasks, and has not made an effort to make a name for themselves.

If Honor is a measure of another's soul, Glory is a measure of their deeds. A character of high Glory is bound to be more highly respected by his/her peers. Ultimately, Glory is the trait that will be used to see if you are recognized by fellow samurai.

Glory is measured from 0 to 10, from a virtual nobody to greatly glorified hero.

You need special recognition from you Lord or Superior to advance in Glory Rank, when you are commended for your actions and deeds.

Determining Glory

If you wish to see if you recognize another samurai, roll Intelligence/Lore: Heraldry vs TN 50. The TN is reduced by the person's Glory Rank x 5.

Infamy

Infamy works as "negative Glory", and is ranked from 0 to 10. Infamy is attained by doing cruel and wicked deeds, often those that cause you to lose honor. An infamous character is recognized in exactly the same fashion as a glorious one, and if a character has ranks in both Glory and Infamy, they are combined for the purpose of recognition.

Gaining Glory

Acknowledgement - Publicly acknowledged by someone of Status 7+, gain 1 Rank.
Blood Feud - Avenging a feud gains Glory equal to the opponent's Status or Glory (lower of the two).
Caught in a Lie - Lose double the Glory gained by the act about which the samurai lied.
Completing a Quest - Gain Glory points = 1/2 the Glory Rank of the individual issuing the quest.
Craftsmanship - Gain one Glory point for each Raise made when creating an item.
Defeat Officer who loses a battle/duelist who loses a duel (loses opponent's Glory).
Duels - Winning a fair duel gains Glory points equal to 1/3 opponent's Status/Glory.
Family Dishonor - Lose one Glory Rank if a close relative commits an act worthy of seppuku.
Gifts - Gain Glory equal to Glory/Status if given a gift by a higher ranking samurai.
Idleness - Lose one Glory point for every week without any Glory gain.
Indifference - Being ignored for prior bad behavior, reduce all Glory gains by 1, increase losses by 2.
Immortality - Inspiration for a work of art, gain Glory points = Glory rank of most prominent admirer.
Learning - Gain one Glory Rank when gaining an Insight Rank.
Marriage - Increase Glory Rank of lower-Glory spouse to one less than higher-Glory spouse.
Public Bragging - After gaining Glory, you may gain 1 additional point through public bragging.
Romance - One point of Glory for public declaration of love (without identifying lover).
Skirmishes - Gain one glory point for defeating bandits, ronin, etc.
Status - Gain Glory equal to the amount of Status gained.
Stealing Credit - Gain the amount of Glory normally gained for the act being usurped.
Warfare - Gain 3 points of Glory for surviving a battle, 6 if on the winning side.  

[Rain Yupa]

STATUS

What is status? It is formalized recognition by your superiors. For some samurai, status is a justified reward for years of loyal service, allowing for them to live long, fruitful, relaxed lives.

Status is the most difficult to come by of the three traits. It can never be 'earned' by your actions, like Honor and Glory. Status can ONLY be granted, and by those whom you serve. Your lord can grant you status, while one from another clan cannot.

When dealing with samurai of your Family and Clan, a samurai must obey anyone of higher rank than them. When dealing with more than one individual, the orders of the highest ranking member takes precedence. Guests in another lord's home, even outside their Clan, also tend to follow orders, not because they are required to, but due to polite manners (else, they mind find the lord's hospitality revoked). Imperial Families have control over anyone they outrank, and extremely high-ranking individuals in the empire, such as the Emerald Champion, have authority over anyone of lower rank (the Emperor has the highest status and has authority over EVERYONE).

When dealing with samurai to which you hold no allegiance, you are under no obligation to obey them. A high ranking Crane bushi cannot order around a low ranking Lion bushi. However, the Lion should still show respect to the Crane, because he is technically his superior.

Disobeying your superior can lead to Honor loss (from 1 point to 1 rank, depending on the severity). Whether or not the superior's orders are dishonorable is not a factor here; disobedience is disobedience, and can also lead to demotions of status by one's lord. If you have conflicting orders from two superiors, there is no honor or status loss for obeying the higher ranking one. If both superiors are of equal rank, obey one of them as best you can. This might create a personality conflict between you and the slighted one, but there will be no punishment for your duty.

Gaining Status

Status can only be given to you by samurai of higher Status than your own, and is always indicative of a promotion of some sort. This can only be awarded to you by someone who has some sort of authority over you. Some high-ranking Imperial Family samurai, as well as the highest governmental figures (the Emperor, et al) can award Status to anyone, but rarely do so as to not step on the toes of the various Clan Champions.

Though given to samurai as a form of "promotion", Status increases aren't always a reward; sometimes, they can be a punishment, sticking someone with trivially 'important' duties that squanders their abilities.

Losing Status

Status can be revoked by anyone of higher rank, and indicates a demotion. There is no limit to how much Status can be taken away. If a samurai feels that they have been unjustly stripped of Status may plead his case to someone with higher Status than the one who demoted him/her. If the demotion was, in fact, unjust, then the one who demoted loses honor for the action. However, if the claim was found justly warranted, the accuser loses the same amount of honor and is publicly shamed, and often results in even more severe punishment. The accused superior who made the demotion may also seek further retribution to the insult.  

[Rain Yupa]

MISCELLANEOUS HOUSE RULES

Some of the Insight Bonuses from 3rd edition will carry over. Namely:

Artisan Rank 5, +2 insight; Rank 10, +2 insight.
Games Rank 5, +2 insight; Rank 10, +2 insight.
Lore Rank 5, +2 insight; Rank 10, +2 insight.
Perform Rank 5, +2 insight; Rank 10, +2 insight.
Theology Rank 5, +2 insight; Rank 7, +2 insight. Rank 10, +10 insight. (Replaced by the below)
Craft Rank 5, +2 insight; Rank 10, +2 insight.

Lore: Heraldry

Lore:Heraldry rolls made against people of your own clan gain a number of extra rolled dice equal to your ranks in Lore: + your School rank. However, if you have the Different School advantage, the Lore bonus applies to Heraldry rolls for members of your main clan, and the School bonus applies to Heraldry rolls for members of your school's clan. Note, that these extra dice do not make the skill "trained", regarding emphases and explosions.

Lore: Theology

Once per day, you may spend 15 minutes in prayer and attempt a TN 20 Awareness/Lore: Theology roll to pray to one of the Seven Fortunes to earn their blessing, adding +1 to the totals of the following rolls for the remainder of the day:
Benten: +1 to all contested Social skill rolls
Bishamon: +1 to all Weapon skill rolls
Daikoku: +1 to all non-craft Merchant skill rolls
Ebisu: +1 to all Craft and Artisan skill rolls
Fukurokujin: +1 to all Lore skill rolls
Hotei: +1 to all Void-based rolls
Jurojin: +1 to all Earth-based rolls

If you have the Seven Fortunes' Blessing advantage, you get a free raise on your roll when praying to that Fortune. If you have the Seven Fortunes' Curse disadvantage, you cannot make a roll to pray to that Fortune for a blessing. Praying to a Fortune in a shrine dedicated to them also grants a free raise to the roll; praying with a focus (such as a statue of that Fortune) outside of a shrine instead grants the same benefit as an emphasis when rolling for that Fortune.

Mastery Abilities
Rank 3: The bonus to the above rolls increases to +2.
Rank 5: You may make 1 more attempt to pray to the Fortunes the same day.
Rank 7: The bonus to the above rolls increases to +3.

ALLOWED SOURCES
Main Rulebook
Emerald Empire
The Great Clans
Book of Air
Book of Earth
Book of Fire
Book of Water
Book of Void
Secrets of the Empire
Sword and Fan
Enemies of the Empire
Imperial Histories
Imperial Histories 2


XP Expenditure
You may spend XP during any downtime, even if it's during a single night's rest (but not if you're knocked unconscious). This is to prevent a character from suddenly gaining ranks to suit challenges they are about to face.

Session Duration

A session in Cartographers will be defined as the successful exploration and mapping of 1/4 of a province (and "end" when you are ready to move on to the next area).

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FOR NPC USE ONLY, UNLESS PERMISSION IS OTHERWISE GIVEN:

GENERIC BUSHI

Benefit: +1 Agility
Honor: 4.5 Honor
Skills: Athletics, Battle, Defense, Kenjutsu (Katana), Kyujutsu, Any 1 Bugei Skill, Any 1 Skill
Outfit: Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Any 1 Weapon, Traveling Pack, 1 koku

Rank 1:
When you are suffering TN penalties due to Wounds, you may make an Earth Roll (ignoring Wound TN penalties) during the Reactions Stage of each Round, with a TN equal to 5+5x the number of Wound Ranks you are currently suffering. If the roll is successful, you may ignore the effects of your Wound penalties until the next Reactions Stage. This Technique does not work once you reach the Down or Out Wound Ranks.

Rank 2:
When you are outnumbered in a skirmish, you gain a bonus to your Armor TN equal to the amount by which the number of enemies exceeds the number of your allies. This bonus cannot exceed the total of your School Rank x2.

Rank 3:
You may attack as a Simple Action when wielding Katana.

Rank 4:
Choose one additional melee weapon; you may attack with that weapon as a Simple Action. Once per skirmish, you may spend a Void Point on a damage roll, regardless of what weapon you are using.

Rank 5:
Choose another melee weapon: you may attack with that weapon as a Simple Action. Additionally, you may spend a Void Point to activate your Rank 1 Technique without requiring an Earth Trait Roll; when you activate it in this way, it lasts a number of Rounds equal to your Fire Ring.

GENERIC COURTIER

Benefit: +1 Awareness
Honor: 4.5 Honor
Skills: Calligraphy, Courtier (Rhetoric), Etiquette (Conversation), Investigation, Sincerity, Any 1 High Skill, Any 1 Lore Skill
Outfit: Traditional Clothing, Wakizashi, Knife, Calligraphy Set, Traveling Pack, 5 koku

Rank 1:
Choose a social skill emphasis that you have. Gain a Free Raise on all rolls with that emphasis. This emphasis is considered 'honed'.

Rank 2:
Apply your Rank 1 school technique again. Alternatively, choose the following benefit: On all void points spent for +1k1 on rolls using an honed emphasis, gain +3k1 instead.

Rank 3:
Apply your Rank 1 school technique again. Alternatively, choose the following benefit: A number of times per session equal to your School Rank, you may reroll any roll using an honed emphasis, with all raises applied again to this new roll. You must keep the second result even if it is lower. If it is a contested roll, you must declare this technique's use before knowing your opponent's result.

Rank 4:
Apply your Rank 1 school technique again. Alternatively, choose the following benefit: The first raise you make on any roll using an honed emphasis does not increase your TN.

Rank 5:
Apply your Rank 1 school technique again. Alternatively, choose the following benefit: Your honed emphases now cause 1's to explode instead of rerolling them.