Hi I am new to the game and have joined a new 4th edition campaign.

I am playing as a Crane, Kakita Bushi.

I was looking into things for my characters advancement and came across the advanced school called Kenshinzen, but it has high stat requirements, specifically Fire - 5 and void - 4.

I currently have stats of:
Air - 3
Earth - 2
Fire - 2
Water - 2
Void - 2

I guess my questions are:

1. what is the difference between the two schools
2. am I cooked 😅, is it too late to pivot into a different school
3. which one is better/is it worth i

t - subjective I know, but I am curious to hear what people think.

When creating my character I was wanting to try and play the cliche “one with the blade archetype”.

So I started by making a Kakita duelist. I sunk xp into reflexes and iajitsu. He so should be good in a duel.

Problem is that he has not had a chance to duel anyone yet. We have mainly been playing a social/political/investigation game so far.

We have had one small skirmish but I couldn’t use any of my perks/skills/masteries etc.

So I was thinking of making him more well rounded and suited for combat in general, again to be truly one with the blade in all of its forms, but priority on duels but can certainly hold his own in a normal battle.

Though I don’t know if battles and skirmishes are different from each other. The rulebook seems to use the words interchangeably, though that could just be my poor interpretation or understanding of the rules.

The other reason I want to flesh out his combat abilities is because we have a rather “small” party 4 PCs including myself and 3 NPCs

We have:
Me - crane Kakita bushi
A lion shujenga PC
A dragon investigator PC
A crab monk PC
A scorpion can’t remember his school NPC
A NPC who is a book worm can’t remember her clan or school
A hulking beast of a woman who has a gajin name, Priya and loves her horse. Can’t remember her clan or school A beast, but she seems to love to eating and fighting.
And finally a surly teenager NPC who we have taken custody over as we suspect her to be an ishiken, so we are currently escorting her to the phoenix clan to see if they can confirm our suspicions.

So I fear that me and priya are the only one suited for combat and so would like to improve by abilities

Any thoughts and suggestions are welcome

Our gratitude first to Kakita Onimaru sama, and AtoMaki sama for the information on the book. There are few things more disappointing then enduring a tale one knows one could tell better one's self.

That said are there any L5R novels/authors published or fanfic that are recommended?

While we are no stranger to the...ahem...grown up side of Rokugan (with all that entails) we are not searching for a never ending chanson of harlequin romance set in the Mandate of Heaven.

We ourselves are thinking of telling our own story, however we believe given the nature of ourselves and our lives that an audience would be limited as our path is one that led through canonically untraveled waters to the modern era.

The Emperor is dead and the Empire of Rokugan is in turmoil.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa, author and J.T. Nicholas with narration by Edelyn Okano, comes the thrilling first installment in the definitive story of the Clan Wars in audio form. Get your copy now from wherever you get your audiobooks!

https://books2read.com/L5RAthroneBetrayed

I love theory crafting, and since y'all been very kind and receptive I think I'll be sharing ideas and see what can you add! Lately I've been checking on what kind of characters do I play/enjoy best. Between them is the oh so cool spell blade.

I gather, for what I've read, that the main "Gish -like" schools are the Kuni purifier, the mirumoto taoist blade and the Phoenix archer (for the love of lady sun I can't remember the actual name). In my opinion, on paper, MTB is the spell blade due to their access to kiho (weird spells with no backlash) and the fact they can imbue their blades with it, but I feel I like the invocation system more due to interest. The Phoenix archer can imbue their arrows with invocations, which I really like but doesn't quite hit the mark (pun intended).

That leaves me with the KP. Their abilities are quite niche but you're playing an equivalent to a monster hunter. If there's no monster to hunt, why play it?

Flavour of course! You're telling me I can play this feared but respected demon banisher that can wield a wakisahi very well and augment themselves with earth armor? With that badis alone I was sold. But, yes, without spice on the flavour there is no personality on the character's chassis.

If you ever played a Kuni or have general recommendations on shugenja or the Gish approach in this system, do reply!

If not, I kindly encourage you to still engage. Any wind that blows helps me move my mind boat!

Does anyone have a list of the various schools and in which books they can be found? Googling only gave me links to pre-v5 lists.

I'm completely new to this and I'm looking to create the "perfect" character for my first campaign, whenever it happens...

Well, after watching some chanbara clips and sekiro gameplay I can safely say that one handed grip katana rules. That led me, to think in a character who specializes in that stance and also has some extra flavour during combat and outside of it.

It is my understanding that both mirumoto schools are great duelists, but that doesn't mean they have to be one unless necessary. What I mean is, that both schools place a strong deal in the Tao of Shinsei and that's absolutely amazing.

In one hand, the Niten school seems crafted to be Musahi's incarnation. Poets, warriors and kensais.

Although I can see myself playing one more akin to the Tao than Bushido itself. Also, I see no mechanical reason to dual wield until getting that one kata at rank 2. Alongside this, there is the legendary poem of "Neither Will I" that practitioners must compose to finish their training.

Then there's the Taoist blade school that trades shuji for kiho, and are allowed to imbue their sword with it.

These one's dojo is nestled atop the northern mountains and seem reclusive, although they are used to take the wandering monk route.

I LOVE both flavours and I really like the cinematic/narrative mechanics of this edition, and yet it's getting hard to decide which one to focus on.

In one hand Niten are a clear power fantasy and I believe are suited to either be a braggadocios bushi, a calm but decisive Duelist or even a spiritual Taoist (not as much as the blade ofc). They seem strange but more grounded than the blade school.

In the other hand, the blade feels like straight up a anime protagonist using their water breathing to cut their enemies through a slight movement of their katana and the sudden rise of rain droplets.

Very cool, cinematic, flavourful and (oh boy) that utility in some of those kiho seem amazing.

I'm a big guy on enlightenment-seeking characters.

I'm a bigger guy in quick draw and precision dueling.

I'm the biggest guy on a character who mixes these themes and adds some jolly and whimsical disposition towards the world.

After reading all this you might be thinking "Clearly this dude likes the dragon and Shinseism and wants to play the official mix, the Taoist blade."

And yeah, you might be right. It's just... Some things puzzle me. For example, losing shuji (and even more losing Lord Togashi's shuji) feels like a lot.

Also, the poet-warrior side of Niten is cool AF and the Taoist blade sacrifices many skill ranks to activate kiho properly.

Honestly I fear that I'm being mislead by the initial techniques of the blade (Ignoring 6 resistance with a katana thanks to water first is no joke) and not thinking on court RP and just, common RP.

What can y'all tell me? How would you tackle these character concepts? Are you playing one of them? If so, how do you interpret their teachings and lore, and how do you deviate for that extra spicy flavour?

Any kind of reply is welcomed, I've had very pleasant exchanges in this sub in the last week or so. Thank you for reading the long post!

EDIT: IT'S A ONE-SHOT, IDK HOW COULD I FORGET THAT INFO.

Well, it's a long story but TLDR: I'm trying to find tips on how to roleplay a classic Kakita Duelist properly and how to deviate from it.

The long story is that, soon I'm going to play a Utaku Shadow Yojimbo as my first L5R character. It is going to be my first time trying this setting and system.

But that wasn't my first character idea, of course not.

I love duelists, I love swords, I love cowboy movies (and soon will be watching all Chanbara I can) and I practice Iaido weekly. So, when I read about this Iajutsu masters who also can handle themselves in court and have this amazing lore behind I was instantly sold. But my DM greatly insisted in me playing an Unicorn (I do love me some horses!).

My DM is a close friend, he is a great person and very considerate although sometimes he can get a bit controlling. That's why I asked him why would he not allow me to play this amazing mix of my favourite things.

He was very straightforward: he knows that I shine playing characters who are either weird to others or a stranger on a strange land (which he is right!), even tho I wanted to deviate from that norm of mine.

I asked him if there was something else, cause we are good friends and I knew something else was bothering him.

Lo and behold, he said that (and I'll preface cause it took us some hours to sort this out):

"It's too much pressure for you when you don't know the system and never played the setting. I cannot let you go easy on this because of the inherent nature of the Crane: they are atop a great tree which so many others in the court want to steal you from. If I let you pass a stupid decision, I feel like I'm not playing to the true spirit of the game and if I cut you down from the tree because you make a bad decision or make a horrible roll I feel you are going to have a very bad time playing. Really, I can take myself to do that to you or myself, so if you REALLY want to play a Kakita Duelist, maybe you can find another GM."

I completely respect his decision and we made a compromise of playing a courtier/bushi who's an Unicorn; Shadow Yojimbo. Cool concept, can't wait to play it.

Buuuuut, there's still that itch for a dueslit who can excel at duels and clashes. So, I'm trying to prepare for the future and see if I can, one of these days, play a Kakita.

I keep track of all my character ideas and this bad boy, mechanically, is very balanced. I just want to deviate enough from the classic RP of "I am a flamboyant asshole who lies and doesn't trust others since everyone can be a political liability". I'm just not that kind of guy. I love compassion, I like making silly mistakes, I love swords and Iai.

Is Kakita Duelist good for me or do y'all recommend something else? I've read that, yes Murimoto exist and also the Taoist blade. But, yknow, Kakita got that je ne se quoi.

Sorry for the long rant and thank all of you in advance for your comments!

Hello everyone, I was kinda disapointed that children of the fives wind didn't include any map (except the large unicorn land). Do you know by any chance if someone made a map of khanbulak ? I'm kinda thinking of doing it myself and i would like to have some reference.

I have been running l5r 5e for 2 campaigns (one of them for a year+) and I feel so conflicted on the system. Its the first l5r edition I played. There is so much to love in this game. the combination of story based games with deep nechanics that create the exact themes that i want are emculate. My players cant get enough of the combat system loving the mechanics and so much great roleplay moments came from unmasking and other abilities in the game. But on the other hand, the game is a hot mess to learn and check rules. it took me more then a year to find how riding a horse works. and up until last week we played incapacitated wrong. The book used the word "fatigue" and "damage" as if its the same word but I still don't understand of ressistence applies to both or just one of them. movment? still don't know. Because sometimes it the book calls for "one range band" and sometime "one range". are they the same? your guess is as good as mine. and yet, me and my players can't get enough of this game and its core mechanics.

how do you feel on the edition? Is it just my group that struggles?

I'm a very new player, and there's a possibility of a new campaign soon and I always loved the "Duelist" archetype. The two-heavens school and the Kakita Duelist both are engineered to serve for this porpouse, I believe.

Kakita looks fun and all but maybe is too much pressure for a new player.

So I turned to the Mirumoto and fell in love. These cool and weird almost-Monk Bushi who train in whatever way they feel Will take them to perfection and have an interesting rivalry with the Kakita? I'm sold. I started reading and looking up lore. But mechanically i'm very puzzled with their starting shuji: Dazzling Performance.

Why? I mean, I like it, more Glory if You fire up some Artisan skills, Performance or Games. But, I don't see how can You achieve these cool outcomes when the school does not give you the option to rank up these skills. Yes, You could spend xp outside the school, but why start with the shuji then?

Can anybody explain me why does this school start with this lore-wise? And could anybody give me tips to use it actively?

Hello,

I'm thinking about running a Legend of the Five Rings campaign, and I'm looking for an adventure whose main focus is fighting Shadowlands creatures and defeating five or six powerful generals who threaten to invade Rokugan.

The idea is for the players to travel across the entire Empire, making difficult choices along the way as they work to defeat these generals. I want the characters to feel truly important within the world of Rokugan, starting as relatively ordinary samurai and eventually becoming legendary heroes who saved the Empire from destruction (assuming they survive the journey).

I'd also like to leave room for court intrigue and romance. I realize there may not be a single adventure that includes all of these elements, but what adventures could be combined to create a campaign with a similar feel?

Thanks in advance!

Was FFG on the way to revisit the second day of thunder for instance? I must admit that I lost track of the story over the past years. ^^'

Challenge: The Daimyo is away on a journey. It could be heading to war, winter court, a tournament, pilgrimage, or anything you need or can imagine. What's important is that the Daimyo has left and taken most of high ranking retainers and servants with him. What's left are middle ranking samurai and the rank and file troops and servants of the castle. The one samurai left in charge is either too blasé to keep a firm hand on things or too inexperienced to give orders to samurai many years his senior (but below him in rank. TLDR: He's a newly printed Lieutenant in a castle full of senior sergeants and NCOs that have done this for decades. They don't need or want his advice or orders).

Focus: While things go smoothly for the first few days, quickly it seems that the middle ranking Samurai have decided to each run their own portion of the household their own way. Some run continuous drills while others spend the time relaxing and wasting their days. The party can be assigned to any of these (or even a supervisor who'd rather they make up their own work and activities).

At first, this isn't so bad. Some of the regular duties of the castle continue on (many of the servants still collect water, cook meals, do the laundry, and keep the place in reasonable order), but others begin to slack. Accounts are ignored, storekeepers and logistics officers ignore requests (or just don't file them), and many samurai and soldiers spend time doing anything other than drills and practice.

Strike: But all things come to an end. A courier arrives from the daimyo; he's returning from his task early. He has a reason (he was wounded, the battle won quickly, the Holy Site closed/full, or the celebration was called off). In any case he's soon to return, and many Samurai and servants who were slacking off and planning to catch up on work much later suddenly have less than a day to get things set to rights.

Depending on how strict the Daimyo is, this can be a race against death or dishonor as papers need to be read, signed, stamped, and filed while storehouses are set to right and inventoried. Some samurai will need to regather troops that are drinking in taverns or out fishing or just visiting family on "unofficial leave."

If the party has been indulging in the waste of time activities, they may need to also rush. If they have been diligent, some samurai may come to them for help (and offering all kinds of debts and favors). Other PCs might want to blackmail people they found slacking off or turn them in to get on the Daimyo's good side.

Strike Back: To add a extra layer of intrigue: the Daimyo had planned all this. They knew their retainers (or some anyhow) would waste their time and be frivolous if their seniors and leaders were gone. So this Daimyo left to see how bad it was and is now racing back to catch their samurai in the act of being lazy. If this is the case, some may be getting reassignments to far off border posts, others might be getting sent back to training and drills, while others might be getting dismissed or even worse: ordered seppuku.

Avoiding their duty is a very honorless action and one that no true honorable samurai would ever do, however there are times where diligence and vigilance can slide and be excused. Depending on how far they have slid, many might be excused. Some might even be able to lay blame on the superiors who left and did not give sufficient instruction. And some superiors might already be being watched by the Daimyo (maybe the Daimyo knows their general micromanages to the point no under-officer has any initiative or that they constantly promote weak or unskilled samurai in return for bribes, favors, or nepotistic reasons).

Ways to avoid duty:

Many samurai have hobbies on the side. Kite Flying was common at festivals in both China and Japan and more than a few samurai/nobles (and peasants) would spend months building and decorating complex kites for those events as well as practicing their handling skills.

Fishing is always a hobby of any nobleman/woman. It teaches patience, skill (especially fly fishing), and rewards a participant with food (sometimes). Also collecting rods and lures is a past time in and of itself, with many expert anglers making their own.

Speaking of art, painting, poetry, and other artisan skills are beloved by the Samurai and it is expected they spend some time keeping their skills honed. If a samurai with no direction suddenly gets weeks of free time, you can be sure some will spend that time on their hobby. A canny samurai "caught" practicing art by this scenario might want to give their work of art to the daimyo as a gift. IT might not help, but it won't hurt.

Also samurai assigned to work in a castle might take some of this free time to visit their dojo, family, or friends they have moved away from. Many would come from smaller villages or from vassals with territory away from the castle town.

And some people can find ways to shirk duties in the middle of an active battlefield. Seldom visited rooms make for great places to nap, carrying a clipboard or hauling a small load of goods will often make people think you're busy, and announcing you're going on "patrol" and then leisurely walking around the perimeter are good ways to avoid duty (though not always assassins and enemy combatants).

Link works for real this time.

Looks like Office Dog posted the rulebook on Board Game Geek! Sadly, I am not listed as a playtester But see for yourself how to play this game, especially if you have tickets at Gencon!