Legend of the Five Rings: Oaths of Fealty (open sign up)
 

On the white shore plain, north of the spine of the world mountains, are several peasant vilages. Between the Dragon, Lion, Scorpion, and Unicorn these villages often find themselves and their taxation rights. The region is also home to many bandits, some kappa, a few ogres, fugitives. Caravan's on the silk road travel through the plain. There is great opportunity for a ronin to make a name for himself here as well as make a fortune. One such Ronin is named Kambei, formerly of the Akodo. Kambei has become a hero in the southern plain near the mountains. Some even see him as lord protector of the three vilages he has under his watch. He has set up a small fief from his modest estate and is in need of hiring a few good samurai to help him protect these villages.

Character creation points:
25 points for clan personalities + 3 for ronin social disadvantage.
45 points for clan personalities +3 for ronin Social disadvantage, or + 8 for Heimen Social disadvantage

Go here for schools, skills, families, advantages, and disadvantages
http://laeren.zoggins.net/rpg/l5r/ref/clans.php
Or here http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=3451
or here http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=5214
Lastly here http://www.nuklearforums.com/showthread.php?t=6503

Bam! My character again! Seeming as this is the proper sign up now.

Name: "Satsujinsha" (Killer) Yukai
Clan: Ronin
Profession: Shugenja
Appearance: A rather attractive man in many respects, blah blah. Too lazy.


Fire: 4
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 4

Air: 3
Reflexes: 3
Awareness: 3

Earth: 2
Stamina: 2
Willpower: 2

Water: 3
Strength: 3
Perception: 3

Void: 2

Primary Weapon: Shikomizue or Yumi
Primary Armor: None
T.N. to be Hit: 15 (Reflex*5)

Skills:
......Shintao 3
......Hunting 1
......Lore: Shugenja 1
......Lore: Shadowlands 1
......Research 2
......Spell craft 3
......Archery 2
......Kenjutsu 1
......Defense 1
......Battle 1
......Iaijutsu 1

Techniques / Spells:

Curse

Base TN: 10
Casting Time: 5 actions
Duration: see below
Mastery: 5*
Concentration: complete
Raises: see below
Effect: This is a generic curse spell, usable by anyone intimate with black magic.‪ Curses are simple, but require a sympathetic component: a lock of hair, a fingernail clipping, an ounce of blood, etc.‪ It is not enough to gain a piece of the clothing of the subject of the curse; the caster must gain something that contains the spiritual energy of the target.‪ If the curse is successful, the caster must keep the item in physical contact at all times.‪ If the caster every the item, the curse is broken.

Sense
Base TN: 5
Casting Time: 2 actions
Duration: instantaneous
Mastery: 1
Concentration: none
Raises: accuracy, casting time
Effect: The ability to sense a particular thing attuned to the elements.

Commune
Base TN: 5
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: 1 round
Mastery: 1
Concentration: focused
Raises: amount/ clarity of info, casting time
Effect: Allows the caster to ask an elemental spirit a single question. Earth spirits are blunt and to the point, Air spirits are mysterious and flighty, fire spirits are grumpy and vindictive, water spirits can only show you images.

The Fire from Within
Base TN: 15
Casting Time: 3 actions
Duration: instantaneous
Mastery: 5
Concentration: none
Raises: Number of targets, damage
Effect: This is a fireball spell. The shugenja realeases one or more fireballs at a DR equal to the shugenja’s fire rank. The target must be in sight. The Shugenja may raise the spell to add an additional target.

The Fury of Osano-Wo
Base TN: 5
Casting Time: 2 actions
Duration: instantaneous
Mastery: 5
Concentration: none
Raises: damage, casting time
Effect: A lightning spell at a damage rating of 2k2. The shugenja get’s a free raise if cast during a storm. The spell has a side effect of possibly summoning violent thunder storms.

Fires of Purity
Base TN: 10
Casting Time: 2 actions
Duration: Rounds equal to the target’s honor
Mastery: 4
Concentration: none
Raises: Casting time, Duration
Effect: The target bursts into magical fire. He may roll and keep an additional die for the duration of the spell.

Essence of Air
Base TN: 15
Casting Time: 3 actions
Duration: 1 minute
Mastery: 4
Concentration: Full
Raises: Duration, Casting Time, Concentration
Effect: The shugenja reduces all his physical aspects but air down to one. The shugenja is now invisible, and can move silently. If the shugenja takes an action people can notice, they can make a perception check with a TN equal to the Shugenja’s air x 5 to penetrate the spell and notice the shugenja. After that point the Shugenja is easy to see, unless the tracker becomes distracted.

The Path to Inner Peace
Base TN: 5
Casting Time: 2 actions
Duration: Permanent
Mastery: 4
Concentration: None
Raises: Casting Time, wounds healed
Effect: This spell allows the shugenja to use his targets to heal a target. Each successful casting forces the target’s chi to heal itself of one wound rank. This will not heal destroyed body parts, if you have lost a limb, you lost your limb.

Counterspell
Base TN: 10
Casting Time: 1 action
Duration: instantaneous
Mastery: 1
Concentration: none
Raises: effect.
Effect: You must summon energies to oppose another Shugenja. Earth and Air, or Fire and Water. If successful the spell raises the TN of the target by 10 plus 5 for every raise.

Summon
Base TN: 10
Casting Time: variable
Duration: permanent
Mastery: 1
Concentration: none
Raises: Volume, casting time
Effect: Summon a fist sized amount of the element you choose to summon, The material comes from somewhere, where determines how long it takes to cast the spell. If there is a body of water nearby then a summon water spell would take little to no time. If the nearest fire is several miles, it might take a while.


School: None
Rank: 2

Advantages / Disadvantages:
......Sworn enemy +6 (Matsu Toshiro, father of Shippo.)
......Antisocial +4
......Cruel +3
......Driven + 3
......Heimin +8
......Bounty +6 (crispified an asshole samurai named Matsu Shippo)
......Insensitive +2
......Overconfident +3
......Precise Memory -3
......Death Trance -3

Glory: 1

Honor: 0.5

Insight: 158
(Rank1: 0-150 pts
Rank2: 151-175 pts
Rank3: 176-200 pts
Rank4: 201-225 pts
Rank5: 226-250 pts)

Experience Points: 0

Wounds 4
-0:
-1:
-2:
-3:
-4:
Down:
Out:
Dead:

Allies and Enemies: Matsu Toshiro: "I may not be the deadliest with the blade or the most skilled on a steed, but I have seen the face of death, and I wear it always," or so he says. Sucks to be on my side, don't it?

Weapons and Equipment: Yumi, Shikomizue, Kimono, Scroll Satchel, Travelling Pack, 10 Ya

Gifts, Bestowments and Recognitions: None

History and Glorious Deeds: Long story short, Yukai was born a peasant, but he was far too intelligent to spend his days farming and what have you, and instead took to studying. This, however, wasn't particularily something a heimin should do, as that it was reserved for clan members, and, in short order he became a ronin shugenja. Unfortunately, being heimin made him calloused to the outside world after all the prejudice he had faced, and being ronin made him seen as dirt by most samurai. One particularily bastardly one by the name of Matsu Shippo decided it would be a good idea to rub Yukai's face in his low standing. Yukai, in turn, decided it would be a good idea to ram a fireball down Shippo's throat. Shippo, however, was rather important as that his father was Matsu Toshiro, and, further, Shippo was killed outside of a legal dual. As a result, he now has Toshiro, wasp bounty hunters, and the magistrates pursuing him with the full intent of executing him.



Also, if anyone needs help, and by needs help I mean they tried and are having troubles for some reason, or have a question and JAD isn't around, I'll do what I can.

I don't know NEARLY as much as he does, but I've been in three other of his l5r rps and have picked up a few things.

Also, JAD, I noticed shikomizue is like a wakizashi price and damage wise 'cept more hiddenish, and decided I liked it more for this character, so I sold the wakizashi and got that.

Hmm...would an archer be in the reserves or disengaged? (Since I like the idea of an archer) Would an archer ever get into an official duel, or would it be just guerilla fighting, picking off people from a distance?

Well this means everyone will treat you like a heimen now see broken daisho disadvantage.

My character
Name: “Magagumo” Sanjuro
Clan: Ronin
Age: 25
Appearance: Sanjuro is a wave man, while he may dress decently and keep his brown hair long and straight. He is another Ronin, albeit one concerned with a good appearance. He may be dirt poor and starving, but he will keep his clothes immaculate, and his hair trimmed. He has dark eyes. He is very well toned, and has an athletic body. While not handsome, he is not ugly either.

Earth: 3
Stamina: 3
Willpower: 3

Water: 2
Strength: 3
Perception: 2

Fire: 2
Agility: 3
Inteligence: 2

Air: 2
Reflexes: 2
Awareness: 2

Void: 2

Primary Weapon: Kusari-gama 4k2 (Has a Tn 30 to escape)
Primary Armor: Light armor
T.N. to be Hit : 10 (15)
(Reflexes x 5 + Armor)

Skills: Hunting 2
Kenjutsu 2
Nofujutsu (Kusari-gama and other chain weapons.) 4
Shintao 2
Athletics 2
Defense 3
Intimidation 2
Meditation

Technique: NA


Advantages /Disadvantages:
Clear Thinker 2pts
Great Potential (Nofujutsu) 8pts
Strength of the Earth 4 pts
Quick 3pts
Brash 2 pts
Driven (To master his weapon techniques and achieve greatness) 3pts
Dark Secret (None of your business) 5 pts
Social disadvantage (Ronin) 3 pts

Honor: 1.5

Glory: 0.1

Insight: 138
Experience points:
Wounds (Earth ring x 4)
-0: 12
-0: 12
-0: 12
-1: 12
-2: 12
Down: 12
Out: 12
Dead: 12

Allies and Enemies:

Weapons and Equipment: Kusari-gama (Fine), Katana, Wakizashi, Light armor, Helm, Mempo, Traveling pack, Book of the Tao, Kimono, obi, Haori, Hakama, Wicker pack, Sashimono that reads "Evil Spider for Hire" 12 koku

Gifts, Bestowments and Recognitions:

History and Glorious Deeds: Sanjuro’s life has been very hard. His father was a son of a Ronin, and his father before him. Sanjuro’s mother was a geisha. She raised him after his father was killed in a duel with a Kakita kenshinzen. Sanjuro felt empty. He knew he was meant for better things. He came across a monk that saw the potential in him. He became a wave man.

He has since striven to learn the Tao and master his weapon, the Kusari-gama. He hopes to one day start a dojo in the use of the chain sickle and promote it as an honorable weapon, but he is pragmatic about it and realizes he is nowhere that skilled yet."

He wanders the land now on a warrior’s pilgrimage of sorts. He has learned little he didn’t already know though. Most samurai underestimate an opponent using a weapon they are unfamiliar with. Few will Hire the Magagumo but that does not prevent him from advertising, walking around with his banner.

Edit: MLA: Archer eh Look at the wasp school if you want to go full time archer. If you want an archer who can duel then true ronin is good. If you want a mounted archer Shinjo school is good for that. basically it's up to you what kind of archer you are. The upside with true ronin is you can start with a high reflexes trait since that is the trait archery in rokugan keys off, unless you are unicorn then you use agility, which is good since so does swordmanship. Archers are mostly reserves and disengaged.

Hmm...I think I'll go with a unicorn archer, I read the little blurb thingy on the website and it looks interesting.

Would an alcoholic archer haunted by his one past love be too farstretched?

nope Sounds perfect for a ronin

I've got four character ideas, and I can't choose which one...

1) Dragon clan ronin from Ise Zumi. He's got a Ratling ally, two tattoos, a bounty on his head, and a sworn enemy. No Enlightened Madness.

2) Wasp clan ronin archer. Driven to be the best bounty hunter there is. Ratling ally.

3) Pheonix clan ronin from Isawa Tensai. Enlightened Madness on all of his non-master elements, and maybe some other bad disadvantes. Other disadvantages that make him anti-social. As much boosting on main element as possible.

4) Undecided Scorpion clan ronin (One of the social manipulating ones, not stealthy ones).

I'm vetoing the tensai. Tensai's don't become Ronin shugenja. They become Forgotten and become Ronin bushi

Ok, before I make the official thing

I'm going with a Unicorn trained in the Shinjo Bushi school. Do I get +1 Refelxes, +1 Agility, plus all the equipment (Outfit: (All items are of fine quality) 20 arrows, bow, katana, wakizashi, any 3 weapons, helm, light armor, kimono, traveling pack, steed, 10 koku) and skills (Skills: Defense, Hunting, Horsemanship 2, Kenjutsu, Archery, Yarijutsu) and such free of charge?

If I choose the Forgotten Disadvantage, would I just be stripped of all magic, or would my skills suffer also?

Is the Gaijin name disadvantage basically a way to create a non-Japanese name (i.e. Matthew or Joseph)?

Can a former lover also be a ghost (it says ancestors, thought I should check), in addidition to the source of nightmares?

Ok Forgotten means you pick a shugenja school and take that school but get no spells. that's how forgotten works. basically they cut you off from your magic You can never learn magic, ever.

And yes as a clan ronin you get all the outfit stuff. True ronin get a Die roll to see how well off they are. And yes you can be haunted by a former lover. You also get the family bonus and the school bonus.