L5R House Rules

Basic House Rules

• L5R Heritages - Completely redone heritage rules.
• L5R Reputation - A simple system that breaks a character's reputation out of their overall fame, and tracking it as a separate thing from Glory. This, of course, covers slightly modified Glory rules.
• L5R Economy - If it's ever needed... a rework of the price lists for more sane figures. Probably won't be relevant.

• L5R Advantages - New and altered advantages. Some of these are a more critical part of the setting than others.
• L5R Disadvantages - New and altered disadvantages. Some of these are a more critical part of the setting than others.

Setting Changes

• Everything on these pages assumes the start date to be the year 1118, during the 16th year of Hantei XXXVIII's reign. Thus, everything that has happened since then... hasn't happened. If your GM is using this, don't expect anything. Also, realize that ronin and the Minor Clans have things considerably harder in this era.
  • Lady Amaterasu is the Sun Goddess, and Lord Onnatongu is the Moon. Spells or effects that call upon the Sun or Moon are changed appropriately - IE, Amaterasu's Anger, By the Light of the Lord Moon, and so on.
  • Hochiu's Call to Heaven is called Tsuke's Call to Heaven (he developed it first anyway. Damned taint).

• Zeni are not copper coins on their own, but rather strings of 100 coins each. This makes the 'one week of food is the smallest denominator' problem go away. Also, it allows for a way around silliness like... a single trail ration meal costing five weeks worth of food. It's also closer to historical Japanese coinage (koku/koban to thousands of zeni/mon sen).

• There will be no guns of any sort in my Rokugan. Yick. That road will not be trodden. Gaijin pepper are a bit finicky and hard to handle with things smaller than the occasional cannon, and even that's a pain in the butt reserved for flagships of gaijin navies.

Simple Rules

• First optional rule on page 94 of the 3rd edition core book is in effect: Characters only gain insight from a number of skills equal to the sum of their rings.

• A samurai's annual stipend / expense account is equal to their status cubed * 5. So, a normal starting character gets 5 koku per year, a status 2 character gets 40, 3 gets 135, 4 gets 320, 5 gets 625. This is a general rule and not an exact figure, and, of course, they are expected to provide for their servants and take care of their duties to their clan with these funds, as well as provide for others under their command.

Minor School Changes

• Asahina shugenja technique: Does not add honor rank to ring for determining spell effect purposes. In addition, the honor dice added are rolled, not kept (this is the default interpretation of the rules but bears repeating). It should not have to said that this ability cannot be applied in an action that would cause a loss of honor or violate the Asahina's pacifistic code.
• Isawa shugenja technique: The standard Isawa shugenja school (not the tensai) also provides a free raise on all ritual spells cast as such. This is in addition to the other technique benefits. See also the Isawa Tensai and Elemental Guard for a different (and more drastic) take on those schools.
• Grand Master of the Elements Rank 1: If a character has no deficiencies when entering this rank (such as from entering this school from the Isawa shugenja school), she instead gains a free raise when casting spells of an element with which she has an affinity. In addition, unless the Grand Master has the Ishiken-do advantage, she may not progress to rank 3.

Note - All Minor Clan and Ronin schools (save for Shugenja - see below)), are limited to three ranks. The Mantis are a minor exception to this in that their Bushi school (only) has four ranks (Yoritomo himself has 'unlocked' it). Exceptional individuals may develop their school one rank further, at the GM's discretion. Also, during the Clan War, all schools will eventually unlock another school rank.

Minor Clan and Ronin Shugenja - In order to study past Rank 3, they must find a willing tutor, or gain entrance into another school. It is a fairly simple matter for Tonbo and Moshi shugenja to find acceptance or tutelage among the Phoenix, but the Kitsune will need to find a minor ally and end up owing a minor obligation to the Crane or Phoenix. Ronin have a considerably tougher time, and must usually find an acceptable tutor (such as Naka Kuro). Failing that, an extensive period of service to the Phoenix will net some tutelage, but no more than one spell will be granted per school rank.

• The Moshi Technique has, obviously, changed since Amaterasu's death and their 'betrayal' through joining the Mantis.
• The Yoritomo technique is (slightly) weaker, not gaining free raises to Water spells.
• The Tonbo have not been so nearly destroyed, and thus, have not developed their technique further. Only the first paragraph (the 'Silvered Tongue') applies.
• The 'Militant Shugenja' do not exist yet (nor does their technique).

Combat Rules

These are implemented to increase the value of raising rings.

• Characters roll for initiative using their Air Ring, not Reflexes. Thus, the roll is (Air Ring + School Rank)k(Rank).
• When attempting to perform a knockdown on someone, you need to make a number of raises equal to their Air Ring, instead of 3.

• When attempting to disarm someone, you need to make a number of raises equal to their Water Ring, instead of 3.

• When attempting a feint, you must make a number of free raises equal to your opponent's fire ring. You gain a number of free raises for the real attack equal to your fire ring (+1 in the case of Scorpion Bushi rank 2 tech).
• In order to make an additional attack in a round, you must make a number of raises equal to (7 minus your Fire Ring, minimum 0). If your Fire ring is 7 or higher, and you normally get two or more attacks in a round, you may perform this twice in a round, for a number of raises equal to (9 minus your fire ring, minimum 0) for all four attacks involved.

• A called shot requires a flat number of raises (no matter the target) equal to the victims lowest ring. If successful, you may sever a limb or inflict a similarly permanent injury (see below) by doing the victim's Earth*10 in wounds. Techniques, advantages and disadvantages that modify a character's wound ranks in any way apply - the Hida Bushi rank 5 technique makes this Earth * 20, Permanent Wound makes it Earth * 9, Bad Health lowers effective Earth by 1 if stamina is low enough, and so on.
• A Torso hit in this manner causes the Permanent Wound or Bad Health disadvantages (GM's discretion).
• A Leg hit in this manner causes the Lame or Missing Limb disadvantages.
• A Head hit in this manner causes the Bad Sight or Missing Eye disadvantages.
• An arm hit in this manner causes the Missing Limb disadvantage.

Specific to Character Creation

• Characters begin with a base of 60 character points instead of 45.
• Characters begin with two additional ranks that they may assign to any trait. No trait can be raised more than twice through this bonus and the bonuses granted by families and schools.
• Family and school bonuses to traits are applied after said traits are raised with character points. This includes the bonus granted above.
• No trait may be raised higher than 4 at character creation.

Rules to Remember

This is partly for me. These are not house rules, but errata and rules that have changed between editions that are easy to forget. Thus, they are listed here.

• The [FAQ] answers many basic questions and provides a bit of errata.
• Decreasing your honor by one rank provides 3 character points and does count as a disadvantage.