L5R Spells

Void Spells

The following are converted from Walking the Way

Mastery Rank 1

Contemplate the Void

• Duration: One Minute
• Area of Effect: Self
• Range: Self

This simple spell is among the first taught to adepts of the Void. By acknowledging the paradox of nothing and everything - and more importantly, by realizing her place within it - the shugenja can increase the number of void points that she can spend in a turn. Casting this spell allows the shugenja to spend an additional void point on any action for the duration. Spent points are regained normally.

Special Raises: Each raise allows an additional number of Void points spent, up to her maximum.

Mastery Rank 3

Winds of Change

• Duration: One Hour
• Area of Effect: One Target
• Range: 50'

Winds of Change allows the shugenja, or another target with the Shintao emphasis in Theology, to use a skill which she has no rating in. For the duration of this spell, the target functions as if she had a rating equal to her Void in that skill, up to a maximum of two. She can fight, sing, orate, meditate, or do anything else as if she had practiced it her entire life. The target does not understand any of the concepts or underlying theories of the skill in question, and cannot describe how or why she does what she does. She cannot, for example, answer questions on kenjutsu training techniques just because this spell grants her the Kenjutsu skill. The spell intensifies instinctive knowledge, untapped potentials of the soul, not formal knowledge imparted through instruction or experience.

Special Raises: The shugenja may affect an additional target for every two raises made on this spell roll.

Mastery Rank 5

Depth of the Void

• Duration: One Story
• Area of Effect: One Roll
• Range: Special

Many spells of this nature are used to divine the future: they see patterns formed by the Celestial Order and discern the direction in which they are headed. In so doing, the shugenja is able to predict the outcome of events. Depth of the Void takes that one step further. By summoning the proper spirit, the Shugenja may grasp the threads of time and shift them - changing the outcome of minor events. A courtier who may botch a tea ceremony may instead carry it off successfully, or a Bushi's missed sword strike is instead carried home.

In game terms, the spellcaster can 'store up' an additional skill roll, allowing the failed roll of an ally or successful roll of an enemy to be reattempted. The player does not need to know in advance which roll they want to effect - they simply announce that the spell takes effect following any skill roll in the course of a game's story.

Casting this spell requires a two-hour long ritual, and requires sufficient stamina to see the process through (Earth 2), and an additional meditation roll equal to the TN. No void is directly gained from the meditation - it instead powers the casting of this spell. Any and all raises made on the spell roll must be applied to the meditation roll, as well.

Special Raises: Two raises may be made to increase the number of re-rolls available by 1, or four raises may be made to increase available raises by 2.  No shugenja may have more than three re-rolls stored up at any given point in time.