L5R Advantages

Advantages Changed due to Timeline

Ishiken-do: 5 Points, Isawa Family only. [Inherent]
No mechanical changes, however, no one outside the Isawa family yet possesses this gift. Non-Isawa may spend an additional 20 points, or 10 if Phoenix, to possess this advantage outside the Isawa regardless.

House Ruled

Combat Reflexes: 3 Points
You have honed your reflexes in battle. You keep one additional die when rolling initiative.

Great Destiny: 4 Points [Granted]
Normally, I grant this advantage for free to PCs if they are allowed to take it. It doesn't always result in leaving you at the out level - often, it twists circumstances so that they will result in survival.

Fukurokujin's Blessing: 3 Points (2 for Dragon or Phoenix) [Granted]
The Fortune of Wisdom has blessed you. You gain an additional die on any and all rolls involving Lore skills or Meditation. This may be used in casting maho... once. After that, Fukurokujin's Blessing instantly becomes his Curse, at no gain of points.

Quick: 3 Points, 2 for Scorpion
You roll an additional die when rolling initiative. This is no longer an inherent advantage.

Sacred Weapon: 5 Points, 8 Points out-of-clan. [Granted]
All Sacred Weapons are harder to break and never tarnish or rust (though only the Kaiu blade is truly immune), and gain a free raise for all attacks. Most blades are changed slightly:

• Crab: Kaiu Blade: 3k2, ignores insight rank in Carapace, indestructable
• Crane: Kakita Blade: 3k2, allows an additional focus in a duel, may re-roll damage once per duel
• Dragon: Twin Sister Blades: 3k2 / 2k2, adds +1 TN to be Hit per Insight Rank
• Lion: Akodo Blade: 4k3
• Mantis: Don't exist yet
• Phoenix: Inquisitor's Strike: 2k2 Wakizashi, considered powerful jade nemuranai. +2k2 damage to Tainted targets and wounds receive permanent scar.
• Scorpion: Shosuro Blade: 3k2 Katana, can be concealed as a wakizashi, poison resists at +5 TN
• Unicorn: Otaku Saddle Cutter: 3k2 no-dachi, double strength for damage when attacking from horseback (instead of *1.5)

Servant: 1 or more points [Granted]
Many samurai have a servant that attends to various needs. This could be anywhere from a personal eta attendant to a loyal scribe, spy, or budoka warrior. A Samurai may have a cp value of Servants equal to her Status cubed.

• Basic eta servant: 0 Points. All traits begin at one, Stealth 1 (Sneaking Emphasis), a single other skill at one, and ten cp to spend. May only select skills from Athletics (Any), Peasant Weapons (Any), Staves (Any), Jiujutsu, Defense, Craft: Leatherworking (Any), Anatomy (Autopsy, Torture), and Stealth (Sneaking). Honor begins at .5, Glory at -10, and they may not purchase most advantages.
• Training: +1 Point. The servant has 25 additional cp to spend. Traits and skills may not be raised above four.
• Status: +1 Points. The servant is a geisha, entertainer, or heimin of some sort. They are built like the above, but do not necessarily begin with Stealth (Sneaking), instead taking a total of four skills at rank 1. They may not take Craft (Leatherworking) or Anatomy, but can have a larger selection of advantages. In order to take significant numbers of skills requiring extensive training, additional points must be spent. The following is mostly a rough guideline:
  • Budoka: +1 Point (+0 for Dragon)). The servant has access to all Weapon skills save for Kenjutsu and Iaijutsu.
  • Craftsman: +1 Point (+0 for Crab). The servant has access to all Merchant and Craft skills.
  • Drilled: +2-10 Points. The servant is exceptionally trained. For every two points invested, she gains an additional 25 cp. In wartime, characters from clans that treat their heimin well pay half cost for this benefit (pretty much everyone except Crane, Imperials, Lion, and Scorpion).
  • Entertainer: +1 Point (+0 for Crane). The servant has access to all High Artisan and High Performance skills.
  • Honorable: +1 Point (+0 for Lion). The servant has a starting honor of 3.5, and is completely loyal to his place in the celestial hierarchy. The servant may be trusted implicitly by his master, so long as his owner upholds honorable principles.
  • Scribe: +1 Point (+0 for Phoenix). The servant has access to all High Lore skills and Calligraphy.
  • Spy: +1 Point (+0 for Scorpion). The servant has access to Poison, Anatomy, Deceit, Forgery, Sleight of Hand, Stealth, Traps, and Underworld.

Social Position: 5 Points per Rank, 4 Point per Rank for Imperial Families [Granted or Inherent]
Each rank grants +1 Status. Members of Imperial families have a minimum Status of 2.0 (considered a Granted advantage, but not one stripped of or gained lightly).
Inherent Purchases: Characters who can trace their lineage to the Kami must purchase an additional rank of Status to represent such, four ranks if they can trace it to the original Hantei (thus an Otomo who can prove her relation to Hantei has a minimum status of 6.0). Such characters are considered to be eligible for the Kuge, outside of the Phoenix. An additional rank purchased in this manner would place the character in a known, but distant line of succession for leadership of a family or clan, and two ranks for a close one, making the character a direct blood relative of a clan or family leader - a cousin, sibling, or child. The only known blood relative to the current Hantei is not legitimate, so a direct relationship may not be purchased - but up to two additional ranks may be purchased to improve her standing in the event of the emperor's death.

Wealthy: 1-10 Points [Granted]
For every point you spend on this advantage, one of your starting items is of fine quality, you begin with 10 additional koku. Every season, you gain an additional koku. If some of your starting items is already of fine quality, 2 points can turn a fine item into an excellent quality item. Crane, Imperials, and Unicorn receive 10 additional koku per rank.

New Advantages

Blessed Jade: 2+ Points, 1 point less for Crab [Granted]
You have a finger (or more) of the prized Blessed Jade, rumored to have fallen from Yomi or even Tengoku itself. It functions like a normal jade finger, except that it cannot be corrupted by any means, and would remain fresh and pure even next to the Festering Pit of Fu Leng for a thousand years.
It is, however, somewhat of a mixed blessing. Blessed Jade shines brilliantly within the Shadowlands, and any creature with the Taint who comes within 10 yards of a single finger takes xk1 damage per turn, where x is the creature's Taint rank. The downside to this is, any creature within their Taint Rank x 100 yards can feel the presence and location of Blessed Jade.
More points invested in this advantage mean a larger quantity of such jade. 10 points worth, with the skills of a legendary craftsman, could be forged into one of the legendary Jade Katanas.

Elemental Affinity: 6 Points (4 for Phoenix)
You have an additional Elemental Affinity, and no deficiency to burden it with. Alternatively, you may negate your deficiency, or gain an additional affinity that stacks with your previous.

Loyal Kami: 9 points
You have developed a special relationship with the kami of your elemental affinity (or affinities). They take a natural liking to you, and you gain a free raise when casting spells of that element. This may not be taken with the Friendly Kami advantage.

Touch of the Phoenix: 4 points, Isawa Shugenja Only [Inherent]
The blessings of the Phoenix have graced you with special talent in an element. Choose an element you have an affinity in. When casting spells of that element, all 9's explode as 10's do for all spellcasting purposes.