Roleplaying game

40
Chapter 2: Creating a Character
Chapter 2: Creating a Character
healthy, but you, the player, should be excited by the prospect of get-
ting to watch your character struggle with it.
•  Is this ninjō likely to arise no matter where the campaign takes your char-
acter? A good ninjō tugs at your character’s heart no matter where they 
wander, and it should be something that can influence your character’s 
choices no matter what location they travel to or what obstacles they face.
•  Is this ninjō something for which your character might sully their 
honor or defy their lord? A good ninjō means enough to the character 
that pursuing it is a serious temptation, while ignoring it has serious 
enough stakes that it would cause the samurai to be unhappy or un-
motivated to continue serving their lord.
7. What is your character’s opinion of their clan?
Not every samurai is truly a loyal and devoted servant of the clan. Now 
that you know who your lord is, does your character embrace their clan’s 
ideals and goals, or do they find themself in conflict with them? Does 
your character agree with current policies or regard them as mistakes? 
Perhaps a militaristic samurai is born into the Crane or the Phoenix Clan, 
or a pacifistic samurai is born into the Lion or Crab Clan. Perhaps a Scor-
pion disagrees with their clan’s sinister behavior. Perhaps a Lion believes 
their clan’s enmity with the Crane is an error.
Choose one of the following:
•  If your character believes firmly in the precepts of their clan and has 
sought to uphold them whenever possible, gain +5 glory based on 
their reputation as an upstanding member of their community.
•  If your character has a fundamental disagreement with their clan’s 
beliefs, policies, or practices and has defied these in the past, gain an 
additional rank in one of the following skills based on clan: Crab Clan 
(Aesthetics or Design), Crane Clan (Commerce), Dragon Clan (Sea-
faring), Lion Clan (Skulduggery), Phoenix Clan (Tactics), Scorpion 
Clan (Labor), Unicorn Clan (Culture).
8. What does your character think of Bushidō?
All samurai are supposed to respect and venerate the Code of Bushidō, 
but some clans and families pay more attention to some tenets over 
others (see The Clans’ Views of Bushidō, on page 187), and there are 
always a few samurai who refuse to believe in Bushidō at all. Does your 
character agree with their clan’s views, or does your character differ on 
certain points or even disregard certain elements of Bushidō? If your 
character’s belief in Bushidō is completely in alignment with their clan, 
what past experiences have reinforced it or renewed their faith in it? If 
your character has come to believe that Bushidō is flawed, or at least that 
most people are misguided in the way they practice it, what events drove 
them to this development?
Choose one of the following:
•  If your character’s belief in the orthodoxy of Bushidō is very staunch, 
gain +10 honor.
•  If your character diverges from some or all common beliefs about how 
samurai should behave honorably, gain one rank in one of the follow-
ing skills to reflect past behavior that was unbefitting of a samurai or 
deeply defied the norm: Commerce, Labor, Medicine, Seafaring, Skul-
duggery, or Survival.
Part IV: Strengths and Weaknesses
Beyond their rings and skills, characters are also defined by their advan-
tages and disadvantages—the quirks and vulnerabilities that make them 
tick. Each advantage or disadvantage is assigned to a single one of the 
character’s rings and is classified with one or more types. Different school 
abilities and techniques may interact with the different types of advan-
tages and disadvantages.
During character creation, a character is assigned two advantages (one 
distinction and one passion) in Questions 9 and 11, two disadvantages 
(one adversity and one anxiety) in Questions 10 and 12, and one addi-
tional advantage or disadvantage of your choice in Question 13.
9. What is your character’s greatest accomplishment so far?
What is your character’s greatest achievement so far in life, and how did 
they accomplish it? Your character might have won a tournament or 
event thanks to innate ability, created a work of art that caught the eye of 
their daimyō, slain a remarkable beast while on a hunt, or even taken the 
initiative to cultivate a politically advantageous marriage. Your character 
likely possesses some ability or strength of character that assisted in this 
noteworthy achievement, which you should also select at this stage. It can 
even be interesting to create a contrast between what the character thinks 
are their strengths, and what these really are—your character might not 
be aware of their own best quality, or might mistakenly believe they suc-
ceeded for unrelated reasons.
In addition to deciding your character’s greatest achievement in their 
life so far, choose one distinction advantage that was key to accomplish-
ing this success, or that your character developed as a result of it. See 
Specific Distinctions, on page 61, for a list of options. If you want to 
create your own distinction, consult with your GM using the guidance in 
Creating Custom Advantages and Disadvantages, on page 77.
10. What holds your character back the most in life?
Many things are expected of samurai in the Emerald Empire, and nearly 
all of them have some ongoing challenge in their life that makes these 
expectations harder for them to live up to. This might be a personality 
quirk such as naïveté, selfishness, or a bad temper, or it could be a physi-
cal aliment or disability, or it might even be a spiritual vulnerability such 
as a family curse. When choosing a challenge, you should select some-
thing that you think you will enjoy roleplaying (especially at times when 
your character does not enjoy facing this difficulty).
Choose one adversity disadvantage for your character. See Specific 
Adversities, on page 68, for a list of options. If you want to create your 
own adversity, consult with your GM using the guidance in Creating 
Custom Advantages and Disadvantages, on page 77.
11. What activity makes your character feel at peace?
The answer to this question could be anything from food and drink to 
specific activities, certain material possessions, or particular persons. 
Why does the character like or dislike these things? Does it stem from 
sharing the activity with a loved one in the past or a seemingly sponta-
neous fascination with the subject itself? How has an enjoyment of this 
activity shaped your character’s life? Have they made friends—or en-
emies—as a result of this hobby?
Choose one passion advantage related to your character’s interests or 
hobbies. See Specific Passions, on page 66, for a list of options. If you 
want to create your own passion, consult with your GM using the guid-
ance in Creating Custom Advantages and Disadvantages, on page 77.

---