Roleplaying game

27
Chapter 2: Creating a Character
The Crane Clan
Ring Increase: +1 Air
Skill Increase: +1 Culture
Status: 35
At the dawn of the Empire, after the Kami had fallen from the Celestial 
Heavens, they found themselves plunged into a mortal world rife with 
cruelty and war. The Kami Doji—sister of Hantei, the first Emperor—re-
solved to bring order to this savage realm. The embodiment of elegance 
and grace, Doji walked among the primitive peoples, calming them in 
the way fair weather calms a storm-tossed sea. From her, they learned 
writing so they could record their achievements, politics to govern their 
affairs, economics and commerce to manage their wealth, and art and 
culture to lift them from their lives of misery. Those she touched the 
most became her devoted followers, the first samurai of the Crane Clan. 
Since that time, the Crane have become both the poets and the poetry of 
the Empire, at once the swordsmiths and the duelists wielding the smiths’ 
blades. In every aspect of their lives, the Crane strive for mastery in all 
things, an ideal that the other clans can only hope to emulate.
The Dragon Clan
Ring Increase: +1 Fire
Skill Increase:  +1 Meditation
Status: 30
In an empire that usually prizes conformity and respect for tradition, 
the Dragon Clan is an enigma. Inspired by their mysterious founder, the 
Kami Togashi, the Dragon place more emphasis than most of their fellow 
samurai on the individual search for Enlightenment and expertise. In the 
centuries since the Kami fell to earth, Togashi’s followers have acquired a 
reputation for strange behavior. Isolated by the mountains of their north-
ern home and entrusted with watching over the Empire, the Dragon rarely 
participate as actively in the politics of the Empire as other clans do—and 
when they do intervene, it is often for reasons others can only guess at. The 
secret of the Dragon is that they are guided by their founder’s foresight, but 
even they do not always know what Togashi saw in his visions.
Crane Clan Culture
The Crane Clan’s political and cultural capital are indistinguishable, 
and so refinement, grace, and sensitivity are not only the defining 
features of the Crane Clan, but chief among its weapons. Those 
who fail in achieving excellence fall to obscurity and the silent 
shame of countless unspoken criticisms.
What specialized knowledge do you have?
All Crane Clan characters have a greater awareness of the 
following topics:
•  You have a strong awareness of the politics within Crane lands, 
and you can name major family heads and other leaders and 
know their respective positions and allegiances.
•  You know about the general state of political affairs between 
the clans.
•  You know proper etiquette and protocol in the Imperial Capital.
•  You have a working knowledge of the high arts and the great 
masters of old (at least, among the Crane, for who else truly 
warrants note?).
What does Bushidō mean to your clan?
Courtesy is of deep importance to you, as your clan’s political 
power rests upon propriety and the idea of others respecting their 
proper place—and your own.
While many members of the Crane Clan are deeply brave, Cour-
age in excess can lead to foolhardiness. Cool heads must prevail, 
and sometimes that means avoiding a fight altogether.
See page 183 for more information on how these can affect your 
honor and glory.
Dragon Clan Culture
The Dragon Clan is diverse in its pursuits, even between members 
of the same schools and traditions, but unified in one philosophy: 
the betterment of one’s self and, in so doing, the betterment of the 
whole Empire. Despite the individuality displayed by each Dragon 
Clan samurai, they have been united in their task to watch over the 
Empire and record its history—which occasionally means coming 
down from their seclusion in the northern mountains to experience 
the Empire face-to-face.
What specialized knowledge do you have?
All Dragon Clan characters have a greater awareness of the 
following topics:
•  You have a general awareness of the politics within Dragon 
lands, and you can name major family heads and other leaders 
and know their respective positions. and allegiences.
•  You know more about monastic life and traditions than most 
other clans, having likely interacted with the Togashi Order 
throughout your life.
•  Due to the rugged nature of your homeland, you know 
how to properly prepare mountain flora and wildlife for 
human consumption.
•  You have a working understanding of many physical phenom-
ena of the natural world, which others dismiss as uninteresting 
or beneath their station.
What does Bushidō mean to your clan?
Sincerity—finding the truth of oneself—is the greatest virtue to the 
Dragon Clan. Lies obscure not just the world, but one’s own path to 
greater understanding.
While members of the Dragon Clan take their obligations seri-
ously, they define Duty and Loyalty somewhat differently than most 
other samurai. To a Dragon, unquestioning loyalty is no loyalty at 
all, and Dragon Clan lords have been known to tolerate and even 
value criticism that others would see as grave insubordination.
See page 183 for more information on how these can affect your 
honor and glory.

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28
Chapter 2: Creating a Character
Chapter 2: Creating a Character
The Lion Clan
Ring Increase: +1 Water
Skill Increase:  +1 Tactics
Status: 35
Every samurai who lives in Rokugan measures courage, honor, and duty 
by the standard set by the Lion Clan. The Lion’s military is unrivaled, as 
there are no sharper tacticians and no larger armies in all of Rokugan. 
This proud military heritage has earned the Lion Clan a place as the 
Right Hand of the Emperor, sworn to protect him by serving as his per-
sonal guard and his standing army. In light of this duty, fear means noth-
ing to Lion samurai. The threat of death only serves to embolden them 
and bolster their courage, for there can be no greater end than to perish 
in honorable combat. As veterans of countless wars, the Lion know that 
those who attack first shall be victorious. Above all, the Lion live, breathe, 
and die for the Emperor and Rokugan.
The Phoenix Clan
Ring Increase:+1 Void
Skill Increase:  +1 Theology
Status: 30
The Phoenix is a symbol of contradictions: explosive power and great re-
straint, vast intelligence and deep humility, immolating self-sacrifice and 
glorious rebirth. These entwined virtues illuminate the path of Rokugan’s 
most mystical Great Clan, the keepers of the Tao of Shinsei and caretak-
ers of the Empire’s soul.
As the scent of incense wafts unseen to all corners of a shrine, so do 
the spirit realms overlap invisibly with our own. The Phoenix mediate be-
tween the worlds, appealing to the very soul of the lands. Mountains col-
lapse at their whispered requests, dry rivers are convinced to flow again, 
plagues are banished, restless ghosts are returned to slumber, and crops 
flourish in previously barren wastelands. Nevertheless, the Phoenix un-
derstand that even the purest wish can have unintended and destructive 
consequences if the elements are brought out of balance. Although others 
consider the Phoenix too hesitant in their entreaties to the kami, few are 
foolhardy enough to test the Phoenix’s dedication to peace and harmony.
Lion Clan Culture
The Lion Clan is war itself, forged by the Kami Akodo to crush the 
Emperor’s foes and enforce Hantei’s will absolutely. Lion Clan culture 
lives and breathes martial achievement and glory. It expects of its chil-
dren to meet force with force and death with a smile—a hard path for 
anyone to walk, and harder still for any gentle soul. Even those among 
the Lion Clan who are not warriors often couch their achievements in 
martial terms that glorify combat as the highest of arts.
What specialized knowledge do you have?
All Lion Clan characters have a greater awareness of the 
following topics:
•  You have a general awareness of the politics within Lion lands, 
and you can name major family heads and other leaders and 
know their respective positions and allegiences.
•  You know military history quite well, especially as it pertains to 
the glorious deeds of your forebears.
•  You can identify and know the proper purpose of all Rokugani 
battlefield weapons, even if you are not personally proficient in 
their use.
•  You know about most common military maneuvers and 
engagements, such as feigned retreats, flank attacks, raids, 
and sieges.
What does Bushidō mean to your clan?
Honor is at the center of the Lion Clan’s view of Bushidō, especially 
in the context of martial virtue.
The codes of Akodo are read very literally by many of his de-
scendants, with little room for Compassion or forgiveness.
See page 183 for more information on how these can affect your 
honor and glory.
Phoenix Clan Culture
The Phoenix Clan values balance and the Tao of Shinsei far more 
than the other clans, seeking harmony between the mortal and 
spiritual realms, as well as harmony within themselves. The Phoe-
nix know that every step sends ripples throughout the world, so one 
must tread lightly and with a peaceful heart, lest one’s actions sow 
disharmony or even chaos. Such restraint, however, is frequently 
viewed as cowardice or passivity by the other clans.
What specialized knowledge do you have?
All Phoenix Clan characters have a greater awareness of the 
following topics:
•  You have a general awareness of the politics within Phoenix 
lands, and you can name major family heads and other leaders 
and know their respective positions and allegiances.
•  You are familiar with the religious practices of Rokugan, such 
as the rites practiced by various priesthoods, the invocations of 
shugenja, the Tao of Shinsei, and even the traditions that ex-
isted before the Kami, such as the elementalist tradition of the 
Isawa and the animist practices of the Yobanjin.
•  You know some of the most significant kami who reside in Phoenix 
lands by name from stories or perhaps even personal interaction.
•  You know the names and locations of all major shrines.
What does Bushidō mean to your clan?
Righteousness drives the samurai of the Phoenix Clan in their pur-
suits, and they are willing to sacrifice themselves to ensure the right 
thing is done. They know that when samurai do not govern their 
lands justly, the Heavens themselves will voice their displeasure.
At the same time, some truths must not be revealed to the world, 
and some mysteries are not meant even for the other samurai 
clans. The Phoenix Clan takes a selective view of Sincerity, certain 
in their belief that they are the best equipped to protect and wield 
certain knowledge.
See page 183 for more information on how these can affect your 
honor and glory.

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