Roleplaying game

Chapter 2: Creating a Character
Chapter 2: Creating a Character
Advantages and Disadvantages
Beyond their rings and skills, characters are also shaped 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 (the one to which it most commonly applies) and has 
one or more types and a category. Various abilities and effects interact 
with the different types and categories of advantages and disadvantages.
All player characters are assigned a number of advantages and dis-
advantages during the character creation process. Characters can be as-
signed advantages and disadvantages in the course of play. Characters can 
also optionally purchase additional passions with experience or receive 
additional anxieties, as described on page 179.
Advantage and Disadvantage Types
Each advantage and disadvantage has one or more types, which describe the 
general sphere of activities it affects. Common types include physical, mental, 
interpersonal, spiritual, material, injury, and curse. An advantage or disad-
vantage can have multiple types (such as “injury, physical” and “curse, spiri-
tual”). Advantage and disadvantage types have no mechanical implications 
by default, but they are sometimes referenced by other game effects.
Advantage and Disadvantage Categories
There are a number of categories of advantages and disadvantages, each 
effecting characters differently. Several common categories are as follows:
Distinctions
Distinctions represent a character’s natural aptitudes of body, of mind, 
or of character. Most distinctions apply to a narrow field of activities, as 
described in their entries. Distinctions are paired against adversities, and 
the two cancel each other if both are applied to a given check. See page 
61 for a list of Specific Distinctions.
All distinctions have a unique narrative effect and the standardized 
mechanical effect, which applies as described in the advantage.
Passions
Passions represent a character’s interests unrelated to their purpose in life 
or grand desires—the little things that nonetheless bring them to life and 
give them solace in times of hardship. Even the most dutiful samurai can 
find time to pursue such an interest, for to deny all joy is to hardly live a 
human existence. Passions are paired against anxieties, and the two can-
cel each other if both are applied to a given check. See page 66 for a list 
of Specific Passions.
All passions have a unique narrative effect and the standardized me-
chanical effect, which applies as described in the advantage.
Adversities
Adversities represent the factors in a character’s life that make perform-
ing the duties of a samurai more difficult, be they physical, mental, or 
even circumstantial. While none of these interfere in all aspects of life, 
deviance from the ideal is frequently questioned in wider society, and 
might create challenges for the character in and of itself. Adversities are 
paired against distinctions, and the two cancel each other if both are ap-
plied to a given check. See page 68 for a list of Specific Adversities.
All adversities have a unique narrative effect and the standardized me-
chanical effect, which applies as described in the disadvantage.
Anxieties
All characters have fears, hatreds, or things they would simply prefer 
not to deal with, and anxieties represent a character’s notable emotional 
vulnerabilities. Anxieties are paired against passions, and the two cancel 
each other if both are applied to a given check. See page 74 for a list of 
Specific Anxieties.
All anxieties have a unique narrative effect and the standardized me-
chanical effect, which applies as described in the disadvantage.
Gaining Advantages and Disadvantages
A character mostly gains advantages and disadvantages during character 
creation, when the character has the opportunity to gain up to two advan-
tages and two disadvantages. However, under certain narrative circum-
stances, a character can acquire additional advantages and disadvantages.
Acquiring Distinctions
Distinctions cannot be acquired through training—they reflect intrinsic 
qualities rather than regimen and hard work—but some game effects 
grant distinctions, especially ones related to a character’s social attributes 
(honor, glory, and status). As described in Honor (see page 22) and 
Glory (see page 23), a character can be granted a new distinction by 
reaching certain heights of valor or renown.
A character can have any number of distinctions.
Developing Passions
Usually, a character’s areas of interest are fairly set by the end of charac-
ter creation, but sometimes people find a new art or source of joy in the 
world that they wish to pursue, even late in life. At the GM’s discretion, 
a character may spend 3 experience to develop one new passion, deter-
mined by the GM and the player together.
A character can never have more than three passions. At the GM’s dis-
cretion, a character might be able to remove a passion based on narrative 
events or to make room for a new one.
Acquiring Adversities
A character can acquire adversities through a number of means: injury, 
illness, spiritual impurity, or any of the many other wretched fates that 
can befall them. Critical Strikes (see page 168), the Afflicted condition 
(see page 170), and numerous other sources can cause characters to ac-
quire adversities in play.
A character can have any number of adversities.
Developing Anxieties
Generally, the anxieties of a player character are set by the end of 
character creation. Still, if the GM and the player decide together that 
a character should develop an anxiety over the course of play (for ex-
ample, a hatred of some new rival or a fear of some trauma) and both 
agree on the form it should take, they can assign a new anxiety to a 
character at any time. This confers limited benefits, but it might add a 
great deal to the story, and it does grant the character a new means to 
recover Void points.
A character can never have more than three anxieties. At the GM’s 
discretion, a character might be able to remove an anxiety based on nar-
rative events or to make room for a new one.

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