L5R The Roleplaying Game 3ed (Legend of the Five Rings)

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ycwplc )kug. very rllucll ual pear ulare b idence of divine t s and elc ita1 ided as tl spirits. Some choose to devote their life to studying the balance of all things and the wisdom contained within the Tao of Shinsei, the compiled wisdom taken from the teachings of Shinsei. the Little Prophet. Some choose to study the Tao early in li while many samurai shave their heads and enter a monastey at the time of their retirement. ne Brotherhood of Shinsei is the governing body that overthousands of shrines and temples throughout Rokugan, -..-sncerned with materialism, and with politics. Their only driving goals: foster cultural improvements.

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Shadowland

every light, a shadow falls. Just as the Kami created the Great Clans and Empire of Rokugan, the Fallen Kami created the Shadowlands. This vast region to the south of Rokugan is a twisted, nightmarish place corrupted by the power of ligoku. the Realm of Evil. Somewhere deep within the Shadowlands lies the Festering Pit of Fu Leng, a vast portal into ligoku, where rcalm of mortals.

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demons called oni, goblins, ogres, trolls, and countless other creatures, many of them unique. In the past decade, a powerful new leader has taken control of the Lost, living humans who have succumbed to the Taint. This man, Daigotsu, has carved a vast empire of his own, a dark reflection of Rokugan, deep iadowlands. Few )uls have seen his

rfore the fall of the Kami, before the rise of man, the vere others. The oldest civilization known to have existed in L L r 'and now known as Rokugan was that of the Naga. A race ( iystical, pacifistic serpent-men, the Naga carved a great c ization that spanned the far western reaches of the mod:rn Empire. Their history was marked by conflict just as any )ther history, but following their own struggles for supremacv rnd a war with the mysterious Ashalan from across the dese he Naga established a peaceful and philosophical society th eigned for many centuries. Eventually, the Naga entered an enchanted slumber in o preserve their dying race and combat some unknown future memy. In their wake, other civilizations emerged. The great:st was that of the Nezumi, also known as Ratlings by modem Rokugani. The Nezumi profess to have had a vast empire of their own, one in which they conquered the kingdom of the ogres that dwelled where the Shadowlands are today. Although at many samurai refuse to believe that the abominable ogri served Fu Leng might ever have been civilized creatures, tiirre is some small amount of evidence to support the Nezumi's asxrtion. Whatever the truth may be, both the civilization of the Nezumi and that of the ogres was destroyed with Fu Leng's fall from heaven over a millennium ago, althgu~hboth races continue to exist to this day. : A t least one other civiliza xisted prior to that of mankind: the trolls. Whether created or merely corrupted by Fu I.eng, the trolls nevertheless managed to forge a considerable :ingdom throughout the Shadowlands. This kingdom bowed o the rule of the trolls, survived the reign of the Nezumi, was ncorporated into the dominion of Fu Leng, and finally \vas ihattered during the rule of Hida Osano-Wo, child of Hida 'iimself, who led the Crab Clan in a vicious war against the trolls. Remnants of their civilization still exist, however. such as the dark city Volturnum, site of the Battle of Obli 1's Gate.

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ts of the Tainted

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the truth define common sense

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The ceremony of seppuku occu derstood. Seppuku doesn’t preserb mi’s honor: in fact it is the ultimate admission of one’s shame and dishonor, rather, performed in hopes of cleansing one’s family and clan of the shame that your actions have brought upon them. A samurai must ask and be granted permission to commit seppuku from his lord, or can be commanded to do so by his lord. A samurai who commits seppuku without permission has effectively stated that he can stand to serve his lord no longer, and implicates them in his own shame. That said, more than one samurai forced to senv a cruel or dishonorable samurai has committed tirnatc denouncement of seppuku without permission as tk their lord’s actions.

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There is one other Minor Clans, the Boar, which is not here. This cl vas \. d away by a ural iy, the Heich lily r : lost and gor r.

Minor Clan

The general Sun Tao once said that when a samurai sees iimself surrounded by a sea of his clan’s colors, he caniot fail, and when he sees the horizon blanketed in a sea )f his enemy’s colors, he truly knows defeat. It is thus hat every Great and Minor Clan have colors that symJolize membership in their clan. A samurai’s armor will dways be crafted in the colors of his clan, as will most of iis courtly attire. While it is not expressly forbidden for 1 samurai to wear other colors in more casual settings, nost wear their clan’s colors as often as possible as a sign if loyalty.

S Colors gunmetal grey, blue, bric

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red,;ellow, o blood red, blacK purple, white black, white

MINOR CLANS er snfly

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Colors brown, black black blue, brown, 0.nld brown, greer red, white orange, brov blue, black shades o f brown light green, whitc

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~ 7 leathers d his clan so favored. She had nat evv~ wlth him, and he seemed content to return the favor. After that the Lion, Matsu Seiho. He seemed a normal sort of samurai, but Sadao’s attempts at conversation were coldly rebuffed with the

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Unicorn haw ruled there for many years now. As per the treaty which ended the war in Kaeru Toshi, the cihi h m been restored toScomion rule. Do you know what this means “It means that your clan can get back to the business) of smugh,,ng and blackmail without the interhnce of Unicorn mayictmtes,’’ said with a low laugh. “Haw a care, Shun,” Norachai answered with a sn ‘You were invrted h u e because I am imprrFseA hit iiniir ronutali,,., J u t sure!\/ ‘JChampion, but 1

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rhaps the strangest ofall, ifonly becausc among these wam’ors.

and corruption. The City of L i a has g :want of the Emerald Champlon. I am pleased that all of you anArvered my invitation.” “Howcould we refuse?” %duo asked in a pl ampion is the greatest hon

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\]though the vast majority iracter :nd of the 'we Rings are samurai, there may be players who wish o experience another side of life in Rokugan by playing I non-samurai character. The most common type is a nonk. Monks, while not of the samurai caste, are neverheless respected by peasant and samurai alike, and have nuch more access to society than other non-samurai Rules for playing monks can be found in the Book ofAir on page 25 1. Playing peasants or other non-samurai characters is her matter altogether. Such individuals, typically rom the heimin, hinin, or eta social classes, are not ac.epted in samurai society, and are generallv regarded as esser beings. Non-samurai are not permi vield ated raditional weapons of war (save for certain de ;roups, such as ashigaru or budoka), and dn hnve iccess to Schools as samurai do. element :omAshigaru are peasants trained in t )at. Their usual weapon is the spe;,, ,ut other p,,,arms ire not uncommon. Ashigaru legions are still maintained iuring times of peace, and often supplement samurai pards and sentries in large cities or towns. Budoka are individual ashigaru of extraordinary abilib hat have caught the eye of a samurai. A samurai may :hoose to train a budoka as part of his duties to his lord znsuring that one more trained warrior stands between lis daimyo and any threat that may present itself. loka are permitted to use a variety of weapons, but tne laisho is strictly forbidden on he budoka and of his sen: Neither ashigaru nor budo 'amily or School. They may spend Character Poin& tc mrchase ad 3s norma

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the r( I bushi and shugenja clearly definc and separate, a character may not take ranks of 1 bushi and a shugenja school. However, a sttugenla bushi can take ranks of other schools (including courti schools). A courtier or other character is likewise welcon to take ranks in a bushi school or a shugenja school, but not both. Attendance at a shugenja school is possible on1 th the GM’s permission, if the character has obvi;ly displayed a deep connection with the elements ar

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Dave tting down to create his first Ixgend of the Five Rinl haracter. The first thing he does is decide upon' his charactc oncept. After looking over the various different clans and fam es, he decides that the samurai of the Crab Clan seem most ai ealing to him, particularly due to their endless war against the inister Shadowlands. After thinking about his character for a b Dave comes upwith a back story. He wishes to playa :r oungscout, an explorer who dares enter the Shadowlands with ..othing more than his wits and a bit of jade. Dave begins with 45 character points and Status and Glory anks of 1 (the default for Rank 1 characters). His Traits and Voi II begin at Rank 2. The first things he must decide upon are his imilyand school. A quick glance at the Crab families and schools :U him that the Hiruma family and Hiruma Scout School best fit tis Ctraracter's background. His family 'lkait bonus and his %ha-' b m t s each grant him +1 Stamina. Thus his character has S t a m h 4 IRhe even begins to spend Character Points. uiive'sSchoolalso gives him a starting Honor Rank of L.U as well s Rank 1 in each of the followingskills:Athletics, Defense, Hunting, ore (Shadowlands),and one \Veapon Skill. The school also gives im Rank 2 in Stealth, but at the cost of not offering as many Skills s other schools. His School also gives him the Sneaking Emphasis )r his Stealth Skill. Dave selects Kenjutsu as his weapon skill so iae his Scout will be able w fight with a sword. The next thing Dave must do is decide how to spend his haracter Points. This is a delicate process, as Dave only has 5 Character Points which must be distributed among Traits, kills, Advantages, Kata, Heritage Table Rolls, and possibly ven Honor. Before Dave begins to spend these points, he looks t Disadvantages. Disadvantages grant additional Character oints, so Dave reasons that it would be best to select them firr' J that he has a better idea how much he has to spend. Dave decides he wi6hes his character to be an uncoutk tore comfortable in the corrupted wilderness than in the parr eredronfines of the court. Thus he selects Antisocial (4 point! nd Benten's Curse (2 points). He also sacrifices one Honor ank, gaining a total of 9 points from Disadvantages. He now as,54 Character Points to spend. Next, Dave looks to his Traits. He wants to be tough, 'ecides to focus on his Earth Ring first. Thanks to his Famil nd School he already has great Stamina, so he decides to rais. Is Willpower to Rank 3; since his Stamina is already 4, increasig his Willpower also increases his Earth Ring to 3 . H e also ishes to be nimble. a good trait for a scout, so he increases gilfty to Rank 3 as well. Each of these increases cost 12 CharrRr Polnts. Dave has 30 points left to spend. Now Dave looks to hisSkills. He is quite happy with his stPrt.'in d l selection. but feels Archery would be useful, so he take: ank I for the cost of 1 Character Point. He also increases his Kentsu to 3 (5 Character points) and hisShadowlands Lore, Archerefense, and Hunting to 2 (2 points each). Dave is happy ivith hi kerSkiIJs,so he now has 16Character Points remaining. J.ookin x

Looking at Advantages, Dave finds he must choose carefully. )me Advantages are Inherent. and thus cannot be selected after character creation. He selects two levels of Strength of the Earth (4 points) to represent his natural Crab toughness. He selects Daredevil (3 points) to embody his: character's daring courage in facing the Shadowlands alone. Finally, he takes LVay of the Land (2 points), applying it to the home territories of le Crab Clan. This leaves Dave with 3 Character Points. Glancing over the Kata. Dave is intrigued with Striking as Fire, but his character does not meet the requirements. Looking at the other kata, he decides that Striking of Earth might bt useful, and also is in theme for the Crab, being as strong in the element of Earth as they are. His character fulfills the require lent of 3 Earth, so he spends the 2 Character Points necessaq to learn the kata. Dave need not take any kata at all, but he likes the idea of having a special ability to give his scout an edge during tough fights. He now has 1 Character Point remaining, which he saves for an extra roll on the Heritage Tables. Without further ado, Dave makes his first roll on the Heritag Tables (which costs no Character Paints). He rolls a 2, Dishonor able Past. \Vith trepidation, Dave rolls again and gets a 5. His character is now Cursed, and gains the 3-point Unlucky Disadvantag. He notes the normal cost for one Rank of the Uisadvantage ( 3 points) because this is important when he must facc certain opponents, such as a Bayushi Courtier. His Honor is also reduced by 5 points, causing him to begin with 0.5 Honor. Dave knew the risks before rolling on the Heritage Table and accepts his fate, but realizes luck is not with him today and reconsiders spending his last Character Point for a second roll. Instead. he spends his final Character Point to gain the Languages Advantage, and learns the Nezumi language. Next, he assem' ; his starting outfit as determined by his School and decides \ k l l d i equipment he thinks might be useful in his adventures. With all of the variables that affect Insight now determined, Dave lculates his Insight. He adds his rings and multiplies them by 10, m adds the total ranks of all his Skills. tie arrives at a toral of 124. Finally. Dave arrives at one of the most important parts of character creation -deciding on a name. He decides to name his character after his noble ancestor, and Hiruma Hidevoshi is bom.

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Skills: Calligraphy, Etiquette, Meditation, Theology (Fortun sm), any three High Skills Outfit: Tanto: divination tools (choose one type), kimonc .nd sandals, scroll satchel, traveling pack; 10 koku

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t Like the Clan of the same name, this tattoo symbolizes a warlike nature and intuitive mastery of combat. When you activate this tattoo, you roll a n i w b e r of extra dice equal to your Insight Rank on all Bugei S 7011s for a number of rounds equal to

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Dishonorable Past. Roll Heritage Table 2. Distinguished Past. Roll on Heritage Table 3 Mixed Blessings. Roll on Heritage Table 4.

0 on all rolls to resist Fear ttle: Roll once on Table 3A, Saved the day. Gain a 6-poin

Saved a wounded samurai. His family has remaine Fought bravely. Roll one die and gain that many PO ,led the Clan standard int ttle. Roll one die a

!anks o f the Defense Skill ,eppuku: You- --cestor C G lpgrade one )ur starting c

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lot lose through the passage oftime, and one Free Raise on Social Skill Rolls with members ofyour own Cia

s footsteps - wh 'r ame abilities. Cain one rank in both the Acting and Storytelling Skills, or two Ranks in either. st mite or not, Rokugan eagerly awaits your masterpiece. Inremarkable: One of your ancestors went his entire life without being noticed, and people have told you that y )ok and act just like him Gain the Bland Advantage. Additionally, your Glory may not I 'tha ur Statu , Ith, t nnt th +nwver, it is possible to remove this penalty through perseverance and excellence Th rlt Sworn Enemy (but nnt the

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Excellent quality forge or shop. He may Raise fu ther, in which case the item is of even greater qualit matching the quality of Ketsuen, the Ancestral Armor of the Crab, would require 4 Raises, while something approaching the sword Chukandomo, given by Kurohito to the Lion Clan, would require 2. In bo cases, this would not replicate the magical qualitii it raw ion of the fc

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, a small gold coin nount of rice needed to feed a A single koku can be divided ukin” - “bushels”- or most can further broken down

retinue are low. Of c

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the begmning of each Battle Turn, each general should decide what tactics he will employ. If a general's tactics are ruled effective against %e opponent,the GM can assign an appropriate bonus.This is an intentionallyvague statement of the bonus situation, as there io end to the possible strategiesa general may attempt. A few examples: setting pikemen against a cavalry charge,sending saboteurs to destroy enemy siege weapons, or using an advantageouswind to start a fire that threatens the opposing army. The GM should assign a bonus according to creativity and effectiveness. Example: Akodo )in leads his force of loo0 heavy Lion infanagainst a small outpost garrisoned by 300 Scorpion soldiers led by Bayushi Toshirno. Akodo Jin's troops arc soldiers tem-

pered in the Lion's many battles; Toshimo relies on the Shosuro ninja among his forces to undermine the opponent's strength. Though Akodo Jin has a significant advantage in numbers, Bayushi Toshimo's troops have been waiting for the attack for several monrhs and have set up defensive fortifications that will prove bugh to destroy. Should the Lion army attack, the Shosuro ninjas are ready to set off traps that will collapse a part of the hill, making fhe Lion army unable to bring the full brunt of its strength against the outpost. It has been raining for the past three days, though it seems like the downpour may end by nightfall. Akcdo Jin has a total bonus of +10 to his Pei-ceptionBattle (Mass Combat)Roll; + 15 for outnumberinghis foe 3 to 1, +2 for the general's Skill of 3 in Battie, a penalty of -2 for the rain, and (though he dws not know it) a penalty of -5 for the partial chokepoint the Shosum ninja will create with theirtraps. byushi Tkhiimo has a total bonus of 3 to his PerceptiorclBattle(Mass Combat) Roll: +5 for the outpost's Jantageous ground, c3 for the defensive fortifications, and +2 for I geneml's Way of the LandAdvantage applicable to this area. Havfng weighed the pros and cons of launching his attack, odo jin decides to hold off for one more da)

4: Few Against Man 6. 4 Clear Shot 'Hold This Ground!

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a chaotic and dangerous affair. and unpreparcc attle witk will undoubtedly fall if thsv charge ir i o support. Ii more than one PC is in the .L\~el 31cn
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:quire something like lava rocks from Amaterasu’s Furnace le untainted volcano that bums deep in the Shadowlands. M s are encouraged to keep three things in mind when introng awakened items into their campaigns - rarity, drama, and balance. Primarily, GMs should remember that even minor nernuranai are rare. They tend to be precious heirlooms passed down among samurai families, meaning they are owned by a ma. ’centage of a t h y minority of Rokugan’s full populatic-I-;- r L inai should be key* interest of maintabu-

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b g i c in the Shadlowlands

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n two Wound Ranks rolls arnage,representing its frenzied

territorial and deation. Trespassers aries just to make

s Per Wound Level:

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wing an adult dog or small child whole. when threatened or if they think they can ut of something. Most constrictors blend in

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ICAL COURTIER Reflexes: 3

Stamina: 5

Rolls When Attacking: 5k3 TN to Be Hit: 25 Shadowlands Taint: 5

Special: Carapace 1

green, flabby, but powerful trolls prefer to attack from ambush, and are much more likely to be met in the swampy parts of the Shadowlands than sneaking through Rokugan proper. If faced with superior forces, trolls disappear and remain out of sight until their foes are gone. They fight with all the ferocity

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INSIGHT:

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EFLEXES X 5 ARMOR OTHER MODIFIERS lTHER MODIFIERS

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(EARTH X 2 PER LEVEL, EARTH X 5 FOR OUT)

WOUND LEVEL HEALTHY (+O) NICKED (+3)

(+5)

GRAZED

MASTERY ABILITIES

HURT (+IO)

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CRIPPLED (+20)

DOWN (+4O) JST SPEND VOID TO ACT

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ADVANTAGES

Thesc arc thc virtucs of bushido, the code by which warriors live and die. In the Legend of the Five Rings Role-Playing Game:" we invite you to step forward into this majestic cmpirc and assume the role of a samurai. Take up the twin swords of a fierce bushi, command the holy mystical powers of a shugenja, or brave the tangled political webs of a courtier. Rokugan is a land of conflict, danger and intrigue. Face the horrors of the malevolent Shadowlands or darc the endless internal conflicts that threaten each day to tear a fragile Empire apart. ire skilled and daring . 'it wi This is a I C - ~ whers -3ry 8 *ei~-* than they c

the Legcnd of the Five Rings Third Edition Rulebook:"' you will find the following A deep, intriguing fantasy setting based on the myths and history of historical Japan and Asia, but with a twist that makes Rokugan a unique land all its own.

Quick, easy rules. Third Edition returns to the classic "roll and keep" ten-sided-die mechanic introduccd in the classic First Edition, polished for a new generation. Though the mechanics are inherently simple, you are free to add as much complexity as you desire. Flexible character generation that creates a wealth of customizable charactei ' a number of clan and school archetypes. Over fc different scho itages, and hc as a n assortment of spells, kata, advantages, diptables ensure that your character will be unique.

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\ highly detailed exploration of the land of Rokugan. Inspired by the legc story-driven Legend of the Five Rings Collectible Card Game:" the RPG's hisLuL.L. material advances the story to the beginning of Lotus Edition,'" but also providr ,ptions to begin a campaign in a number of different Rokugani eras

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vcry best schools, techniques, and character options from previous volumes. year cclcbratcs the tenth anniversary of Legend of the Five Rings, and this >oak prcsents the cream of L 5 R s crop. Though previously published material ;till adds a great deal to your game, this book is a11 a new player needs to begin i campaign in Rokugan.

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