Empire of Emerald

Stars Companion
An Unofficial Collection of Homebrew Rules for the 4th Edition of the Legends of the Five Rings Role Playing Game

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INTRODUCTION AND DISCLAIMER
Imperial Histories 2 introduced a new setting for L5R roleplaying game called The Empire of the
Emerald Stars. But most of the information was partial and incomplete. I just collected and edited all the
material I can found on Internet. This booklet has not for goal to rewrite or copy what has already been
done but to implement this with new material and/or clarifications.

Within these pages you’ll find more than new rules, equipment, spells, disadvantages, advantages,
ancestral items… Feel free to use it or not, to adapt it for your needs or not, the best way to play L5R is
always your way.

I do not have the rights to use the original texts and/or illustrations.
You can find them here:
http://www.deviantart.com/
http://0-hr.com/Future_Armada/Gallery.htm
https://the-empire-of-the-emerald-stars.obsidianportal.com/wikis/
http://www.lowfierce.com/kazenoshiro/Rokugan2000/l5r2k/l5r2k.html
http://twisted-fates.enjin.com/forum/
https://seaofstarsrpg.wordpress.com/
http://forum.voixrokugan.org/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9391
http://www.kazenoshiro.com/2011/08/13/tattoos-for-4th-edition-2/
http://l5rrpg.blogspot.be/2013/05/the-owl-clan.html
https://forums.somethingawful.com/
https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?763511-L5R-Creating-a-Minor-Clan-(or-101-Minor-Clans-)
https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/empire-of-the-emerald-stars-legend-of-the-five-rings.31307/
https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/237413-ryoshun-courtier-help/
http://l5r-fanfiction.livejournal.com/
https://www.zerochan.net/Seafh
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/junk_guild/rokugan-in-space-t5700.html
http://thetabletopreview.proboards.com/board/19/empire-emerald-stars
All the original authors are credited on this page.
I present my apologies to the original authors if they might take offense; this collection is nothing more
than a tribute to their work. I have no intention of appropriating if for myself, just to keep it alive and
make it available to the greatest number. Thank to them!

Deeply yours, Droidscotty.

Written By: Samurai Fox (the Bear Clan), Ettin (Purposes of the clans in The Empire of the Emerald
Stars, A Winter Court in the Emerald Stars), Droidscotty (Ships of the Emerald Star Empire, Non
humans and aliens, Purposes of the clans in The Empire of the Emerald Stars, the Scarabs, the Panda
Clan, the Anglerfish Clan (on a concept by Daigotsu Masanori), the Beaver Clan (on a concept by
Ettin, the Rooster Clan (inspired by the Star Trek Department of temporal investigations), Allison
Heimbach and Rich Wulf (Skills, Many New spells, Noteworthy Creatures, Many Advantages and
Disadvantages, Many Equipment), DukeofWolfsgate (Worlds of the Empire, New Rules, Aibisu War
Dancer School), Ian Straughan (Usagi Gunslinger School), Chris Burns (Toku Police Officer School),
SkinnyD (New ronin Paths, New Sacred weapons, Fortunes of Food Blessings and Curses), Shiba
Gunichi (Yak clan concept), LucaCherstich (Date Swordman, Yadomejutsu Expert, Sagara Archer),
L5R development teams: Stonemelt avantage (Enemies of the Empire p.194), Personal weapons
(Imperial Histories 2 p.307), Legend of the Five Rings RPG Blog (Using the Owl clan into a normal
game), Nheko (Ryoshun Courtier School), Kael Winters (Sleeping Serpents fiction), The Reptile
(Economy, Etiquette and Class, Technology), Katana (The Rooster Clan technique), L5R 5th edition
(Deer clan purpose), Autralian RPG users (Garuda, Jinn, Kyparixid, Sassathif species, spider clan
description, important figures of major clans)
Edited By: Droidscotty
Artists: Most of the illustrations come from Deviant art artists: RebeccaDell (Bear clan mon based upon
her original design), peaches9d (Panda clan mon), Tensen 01 (Owl clan mon), Droidscotty (Anglerfish
and Ibis clans mons), Snook 8 (Scarab illustration), Adamkop (nearly all the ships), rich35211,
hideyoshi, Ryan Wolfe (ships), tryingtofly, neisbeis, nkabuto, gunsbins, Rianna Moller, Jorge Jacinto,
Paul Chadeisson (Onnotangu’s heart), ZeroChan (Barrier Reef)
Layout: Angel Torres, Droidscotty based on the L5R 4th Edition RPG Layout

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Legend of the Five Rings and all related marks and logos are © and ™ Alderac Entertainment
Group and Flight Fantasy Games

Errata’s and clarifications:

This book has been designed to work with the Court of the Minor Clans fanbook that you can
find here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ne1gbmkmr70rbhb/Court%20of%20the%20Minor%20Clans.pdf?dl=0
The Aibisu War Dancer School was originally the Kyoshi Guardian School that I adapted for
the Ibis Clan
I already had an Octopus, Bee, Otter and Firefly into the court of the minor clan. So I
retrofitted their descriptions to keep the ideas and give new ones to game masters. The Lynx’s
purpose corresponds to the original Ettin’s Octopus, the Echidna’s one to the Bee, the Firefly to
the Beaver and the Otter to the Weasel.
The Vulture’s purpose corresponds to the original Ettin’s Trout. I just changed the animal not
to confuse with the Way of the Carp technique from the Crab Clan but I kept the original
Shouko family name.
The Neo Versailles world name is a wink to the French Web series “Le Visiteur du Futur”
The Rooster clan is a citation from Master Oogway from the “Kung Fu Panda” movie.
I changed the original Tiger tattoo to the Lynx tattoo; the Bat tattoo to Tanuki tattoo; Cherry
Blossom tattoo to Star tattoo; Tortoise tattoo to Kitsu tattoo; White Mask tattoo to Fan tattoo;
to avoid duplication with Little Truth fanbook.
Most of the material of this book has not been play tested. Use it at your own risk.

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Introduction ................................ 7
Economy, Etiquette and Class ..... 7
Technology ................................. 8
A Winter Court in the Emerald Stars
................................................... 8
Ships of the Emerald Star Empire 9
Great Clans and Ship Design 9
Ships Basic Rules ............ 11
A ship’s rings values ....... 12
Navigation Rules ....................... 13
Shipboard stations ..................... 14
Shipboard Equipment ................ 14
Ship Weapons................. 15
Ship Shields and Hull Upgrades
........................................ 17
Advanced Ship Equipment17
Sample Ships Statistics .............. 20
Frigates ............................ 22
Carriers ........................... 24
Transports, Barges, and
Merchant-craft................ 25
Fighter craft .................... 26
New Spells ................................ 27
New Tatoos ............................... 30
Non-humans and aliens .............33
Enemies of the Empire ... 33
Other Species ................. 35
Noteworthy Non-humans38
Equipment .................................40
Armors ........................... 40
Other Equipment ........... 40
New items for a travelling pack
........................................ 40
Salaries ........................... 41
Vehicles.......................... 41
Housing .......................... 41
Utilities .......................... 41
Personal Weapons .......... 42
Explosives ....................... 43
Tetsukami Technology .. 44
Nemuranais .................... 45
Technological Levels ..... 46
Worlds of the Empire .................47
The Tenth Major Clan .............. 53
The Eleventh Major Clan ..........55
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Minor Clans of a new era ........... 58
The Anglerfish Clan ...... 58
The Bear Clan ................ 60
The Beaver Clan ............ 64
The Ibis Clan .................. 66
The Panda Clan.............. 68
The Rooster Clan ........... 70
New Schools.............................. 73
New Paths ................................. 77
New Ronin Paths............ 79
The Clans in The Empire of the
Emerald Stars ............................ 81
Great Clans..................... 81
Minor Clans .................... 93
Other Factions .............. 100
New Rules ............................... 102
Skills ............................. 102
Advantages and Disadvantages
Adaptation.................... 104
New Advantages........... 104
New Disadvantages....... 106
“Shields are down to twenty percent, and we are
losing life support on decks three, six and seven
Taisa”
Another impact on the shields caused Daidoji
Moro to grip her council. A siren wailed in the
background reminding the crew that they were
in a combat situation. Quietly she cursed the
Mantis Atakebune-class Corvettes. Those
Mantis raiding vessels were always faster than
most ships in the Empire. Thankfully Crane
radiant weapons were a lot stronger.
“Bring us to these coordinates” she keyed in new
coordinates for the helmsmen to enter into the
counsel.
“Divert power from the engines and use it to
reinforce forward shields. Fire on my mark”
The ship came about behind one of the three
Mantis raiders. Moro waited only a moment
before giving the order. “Fire!”
A volley of torpedoes fired into the back side of
the Mantis vessel. Followed by three short burst
from the radiant cannon. Moro glanced back at
her tech officers for a damage report.
“Damage to their engines, shields down by sixty
percent”
Moro nodded and then looked towards the
ambassador seated nearby.
“Are you certain they will show? We cannot
take much more of this Mikeiko-sama”
“Hai” Mikeiko said “He said he will be here and
he will!”
Another impact to the shields caused both
samurai-ko’s to grab something to hold onto.
Moro nodded and locked at the blinking light on
her counsel. The shields would not be able to
take much more of this.
“Prepare for boarders!” she ordered and begins
plotting new coordinates for the helm.
************************
Two Days ago. Asahina Kitashi was reading a
data pad and grinned. If his findings were correct
he may have stumbled upon the greatest find
since the great clans discovered space travel.
He poured over the information again just to
make sure before looking up at his apprentice
“Have you heard of a race known as the Naga
Mikeiko-san?” he asked with a grin.
“I have come across them in my studies, yes”
5
“If my research is correct -and trust me it is-“. He
said with a bit of arrogance in his voice “this
ancient race will soon awaken.”
“I thought the Naga were extending. They will
surely fail to return on the Third day of
Thunder.”
“There are believed to be extinct. But I think
they went into a deeper hibernation.”
Kitashi moved towards the holo emitter and
keyed in a few things bringing up a holographic
image of Rokugan Prime. The image then
rotated to an enlarged picture of the Shinomen
forest.
“This is where the Naga rest.”
Mikeiko nodded “How do you know they will
awaken though? And if they are still there what
makes you think that the time did not consume
them?
“Dreams” Kitashi answered.
“Dreams?”
He nodded and then continued “The realm of
Yume-Do as you may know is the dream realm.
Everything that sleeps dreams. Yume-Do is filled
with pocket realms of sleeping dreamers. Some
bigger than others” there was a short pause and
Kitashi turned a keen eye towards Mikeiko.
“Are you familiar with the work of Kitsu
Yumeji?”
Mikeiko tilted her head for a moment.
“I’m familiar with his work to some extent. I am
told his link with his Kitsu ancestry allows him
to perceive other realms.”
“It does” Kitashi voice began to rise with his
excitement. “He has been working on mapping
various realms to see if there are new hyperspace
lanes to be found in between the spirit realms.
Of late his work has been on Yume-Do.”
Kitashi began keying up more information on
the holo emitter as he continued:
“Once of the larger realms, that was previously
believed to be permeant has recently begun to
shrink in size, denoting that either the dreamers
there are dying or waking up. He theorizes that
this realm may be where the Naga dreams are
held.”
An image of the Shinomen forest turned
sideways showing a holographic image of the
earth below the forest.
“Kuni Sukumi has used thermographic imaging
for many years to track movement on Rokugan.”
The old Asahina then leaned forward and
pointed to a spot that had some discoloration as
if it were slightly warmer than the rest of the
underground region.
“See the Naga are awakening. They rest here.”
“It’s only a theory though.” Mikeiko said
although she was defiantly fascinated with these
findings.
“A theory worth checking out. If the Naga
should wake now they will be wiped out. I will
need you to go back to Rokugan Prime and find
the Naga. Make sure they are safe.”
vessel spiraled and then drifted the only thing
keeping it moving being the Mantis raider’s
inertia.
“A Mantis raider is disabled Taisa. The other
two are coming about. Our shields will not be
able to withstand much more of this.”
Suddenly, another ship decloaked and fired at
the two Mantis ships causing them to advert
their course with the Lady Wolf. It came up
behind the two vessels and continued firing
before they had a chance to come about and face
the new threat.
“Taisa! The Scorpion vessel is making a general
hail.”
“Attention Mantis raiders, this is Scorpion
vessel Shadow. Stand down and depart or be
destroyed!”

“I have no ship. How will I get there?” Mikeiko turned to Moro and smiled softly.
“I told you Kenzo-san would be here.”
Kitashi laughed some, not a mocking tone but
one full a bit of mirth. Moro scowled a bit and then nodded, if only the
Scorpion could be on time she thought to
“You have been a resourceful samurai. I know herself…
you have friends with ships. And I’m sure you
can find a crew willing to brave the deep to
reach Rokugan Prime. I would go myself but I
am too old to make such a trip. Instead I will go
see the Empress. If I can convince her to give
more resources to my project perhaps we can
save the entire race from a horrible fate.”

“Hai sama”. Mikeiko said and bowed gently.

“I will make my preparations”

With that she bowed again and took a few steps

backward, waiting till she had left his presence
before turning and exiting.

*****************

Three more hits rocked the Lady Wolf. Moro

was thankful that Daidoji engineers made firm
sturdy vessels. “Shields are collapsing Taisa!”

“Security teams prepare to repel borders. Helm

fire at these coordinates on my mark!”

The ship flew towards the damaged Mantis

vessels. Moro leaned forward and watched the
view screen.

“Fire!” The Lady Wolf launched volley of

torpedo impacting directly on the ship. The

6
It is a time of miracles…
The year is 3121 by the Isawa Calendar, and the
glorious Empire of Rokugan has spread to the
stars. Using a unique blend of science and
mysticism, the samurai of the Great Clans have
developed tools and techniques unimaginable to
their revered ancestors, and with them they have
left behind their earthly cradle and walked
among the heavens themselves. Guided by the
immortal wisdom of their ancestors and three
thousand years of unbroken tradition they have
carried their art and civilization to even the
most distant star.
The Clans of Rokugan, having long since
reached beyond their borders to conquer their
homeworld, have extended the Emperor's
domain to the stars. Samurai have given the
Katana and Horse places of honor in their
history and now take up Radiant Light Rifles
and Starships to fulfill their duties to their lords.
Samurai wield irradiated katanas forged of
billion-year-old asteroids, or from slivers of
neutron stars, imprinted with their ancestor's
genetic memories through blood-soaked re-
forging. Bushi of all types wear armor both
primitive and technological, mundane and
enchanted. There are no mecha, but many
samurai's armor have life support, rocket jets,
power servos, magnetic pulse generators, etc.
Some sport charms to ward against the
extradimensional Taint…
Where Clans once battled for supremacy over
miles of earth, they now vie for control over
entire planets and solar systems. Legions have
given way to Fleets, patrolling the emptiness
between worlds with weaponry capable of
vaporizing entire armies.
No less than fifty-seven-star systems now lie
under the aegis of the Divine Empress, Iweko
CXII, ritually purified and accepted into the
ever-growing Empire of Emerald Stars of
Rokugan. Twice as many again are in the process
of being claimed and colonized by his most
dutiful servants among the Eleven Great Clans,
and with each passing year new discoveries and
new conquests are reported back to the Imperial
Court by exultant samurai, each one eager to
earn glory among the stars and bring honor to
their lords. Power and influence shifts by the
day, each Clan driven to outdo their peers in a
relentless contest of skill and daring, and every
year the star-lanes and space-ports seem to
explode in a tangled mess of violent conflict as
ambitious rivals make war upon their peers…
7
With the advent of modern sensibilites came a
change in attitude, and perhaps greatest of all is
the attitude towards commerce. Once treated as
a necessary evil, now money is accepted an
appropriate display of power and status... a
development no doubt spurred on by the Mantis.
Which Clans and Samurai now willing to
indulge in cash splendor, fantastic displays of
wealth are common among more decadent
Samurai, and even a conservative is expected to
have the most expensive and top brand fashions
in their wardrobe.
Ironically, this acceptance of wealth has proved
a great boon to the Heimin class. With the focus
on the aquisition of wealth no longer looked
down upon, enterprising Heimin businessmen
can begin to go into affairs for themselves
without doors being closed off to them. More
than one company, while technically sponsored
by a Great Clan, was started and brought to
greatness by a Heimin CEO, and in some cases
the wealth displayed by a Heimin businessman
or politician can be greater than that of a
Samurai.
In order to keep the division between Heimin
and Samurai clear, new laws were codified to
empower the Samurai class. After all, in an age
where everyone is expected to gain an education
and keep a consistent salary, extra effort must be
made to ensure one's status. First and foremost is
creation of the Credit system. While physical
Koku and its delineations are still the realm of
Samurai, Credits, equal to 1000 per Koku, are
the realm of Heimin, with Credits handed out in
bills of 1, 5, 10, 20 or 50. Only Samurai are
permitted to handle Koku. Any Heimin found
with the distinctive gold coin is immediately
arrested. In addition, only Samurai are permitted
to wear the mon of their Clan and Family upon
their clothing, and indeed to be found with such
an emblem on one’s person is arguably a greater
offense than that of the Koku: After all, one can
simply find a coin in the gutter if they are lucky.
To gain such an exquisite piece of clothing is
not only a Heimin pretending to be above their
station, but they likely stole it in the first place.
The modernization of Rokugan has resulted in a
lax emphasis on what could be considered
'manners'. While a peasant showing respect to a
Samurai is naturally expected, the almost
draconian dress code and court intrigue is no
longer strictly enforced outside of social or
formal occasions. Ironically enough, the
traditionalist Crane clan were one of the first
and strongest pushers for the lax dress codes. Of
course, such a push was for economic reasons: As
they are the premier controllers of fashion,
looser standards for clothing means more variety,
and more variety means more opportunity for
money to be made. While some Clans, such as
the Lion and Phoenix, remain as prudish as ever,
some, especially the Scorpion, have become
famous and almost stereotypical for producing
individuals who are ready and willing to push
what is and isn't acceptable in fashion and sex
appeal.
Rokugan has modernized, not just in cultural
standards and attitude, but technologically as
well. Only the Unicorn extensively practive
riding steeds, and even then, only as a means of
preserving heritage. Vehicles such as cars,
motorboats and starships are commonplace now,
and televisions, cell phones and more are
everyday necessities.
Of course, the katana remains as vital as ever.
Unwilling to let the symbol of their status
become truly obsolete, the discovery og Radiant
Energy, the power that enables faster than light
travel, brought the Katana back to the forefront,
as the application of the energy to the katana
blade brought its edge to an almost impossible
sharpness and made them virtually unbreakable.
In a world that had previously become
dominated by firearms, almost overnight the
katana was brought back to the forefront,
especially when it was discovered Radiant
Energy could be applied to personal armor as
well, significantly increasing its defensive
capabilities. Nowadays, many weapons have
Radiant Energy applied to them to grant them a
greater edge in battle, and all but the most
pragmatic Samurai still yearn for the chance to
strike down their foe in close combat.
The total number of guests changes every year,
but there's a hard cap somewhere in the
hundreds to stop things getting out of hand.
Some people are automatically invited: The
Emperor, the Emperor's Chosen, the Jeweled
Champions, the Great Clans Champions, and
their family daimyo. Not all attend: they have
8
other business to attend to and send
representatives. The rest of the invites are
handled by the Chancellor, who mostly just
distributes them among the Clans to do what
they like with. The host Clan and Imperial
authorities can issue a few invites as well. The
smaller Minor Clans usually rely on the Alliance
to speak for them at Winter Court and trade
many of their bonus invitations for favors.
For some Clans, their first impression is when
they enter the host planet's orbit. It's become
something of a tradition for the major players to
try and make a dramatic entrance in the fanciest
ship they have. Not everyone cares -the Crab
usually just bring a practical transport ship, for
example-, and for most samurai there's no shame
in catching a shuttle or something as long as
they show up on time—but a courtier who shows
up in a dented piece of junk is going to look like
a fool unless they can explain it away. Most
guests dock their ship at an orbital station and
take other transport to the surface. The Minor
Clan Alliance is bringing their only Katana-class
battlecruiser, the Defiant.
During winter, these orbital stations are filled
with samurai who weren't invited to the Court
but had to crew the ships. It's great time for
tourism. What happens on the station usually
doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of
things, but some samurai like to joke that there's
an informal second court going on up there.
Topics usually center on the kind liked by
samurai who crew spaceships and don't get
invited to parties: engineering, spaceship
designs, new technology, etc. As for security, the
host Clan is expected to have a fleet on hand to
protect the Winter Court. Guests can bring their
own security, but besides guarding their docked
ships it's mostly ceremonial.

Vessels of the Badger clan are certainly few in
number but tend to be models of efficiency.
Access to mineral resources tends to produce
vessels that are robust. Many functions are
automated, which suits the personal shortage of
the youngest of the major clans. Many vessels
are genuine industrialized factories and equipped
for harvesting materials. In combat, their ships
respect the ancestral belief of the badger clan:
Hit as hard as possible so that the enemy does
not have time to reply. They adore escape
tactics, use special combat strategies in non-
empty spaces -like asteroid fields- and do not
hesitate to use their harvesting tools against
opponent ships. Many of their adversaries have
blamed themselves for having judged lightly the
obstinacy of the crews of these vessels.
Crab ships are enormous, ponderous things with
quite a lot of armor and powerful weapons that
make up for any slowness or inaccuracy with area
effect. As far as personal gear, they recognize
that there is a stigma attached to having armor
beefed up for additional toughness, shrug, and do
it anyway.
Crane vessels are beautiful, elegant, and agile
with shielding that guides attacks to just miss,
leading to a sort of "Dancing through the
raindrops" effect. Their shipboard weapons are
incredibly precise, but tend not to have
particularly good power. They can slowly disable
and then cripple their foe, but it takes time and
effort to line up a kill shot. So, they focus on
evasion.
Dragon vessels are weird. They tend to be
midrange, multirole ships. Rather than armor
(decent but not amazing) or evasion (likewise)
they focus their defenses on active measures -
shooting attacks out of the sky, or blocking them
with a particular form of point-defense shielding.
They're also all deeply customized, and generally
have a decent shugenja contingent aboard, with
overbuilt reactors providing power to a variety of
special projects. You never really know what
tricks a given Dragon vessel is going to pull out
until it does.
9
The Lion specialize in troop-carriers and when
forced into combat in space, almost invariably go
for ramming and boarding actions. They also
maintain a number of smaller escort vessels - not
nearly as many as the Mantis, but enough to
distract and harry long enough for the larger
assault boats to come to grips with the foe.
The Mantis have turned to seeking their future
beyond the boundaries of Rokugani space: the
result of this would be their highly advanced
navy -- a fleet wherein each individual craft is
unrivaled in its ability to endure the harshness of
space in and out of the Emerald Empire, well-
suited to the exploration of uncolonized sectors.
The Mantis are also known for their expertise in
ranged combat, and they were the first to
develop long-ranged beam weaponry.
Meanwhile, the Mantis that do remain within
Rokugan carry out that which the Mantis have
been known for all along: larceny and piracy.
They have fleets of smaller ships with a carrier-
based philosophy. They tend to swarm their foes,
using high-mobility fighter craft to strike where
the foe is weak. They also generally tend to have
excellent and the most updated stellar maps.
Owl ships are quite heterogeneous. They use
equipment and arrangements that may seem
strange even to the Dragon clan due to their
duty to deal with alien species. Thus, they
recover, adapt and have special technologies
that help them in their daily tasks but which are
also often difficult to replace. As a result, their
ships are mostly unique and precious and the
clan never ventures to use them in battle lightly.
However, this specificity sometimes obliges them
to dispatch a particular vessel for a particular
situation, which considerably increases the
logistics. This is compensated by a number of
smaller vessels when unusual equipment is not
required. Their interiors are often refined to
receive the best of foreign species but also in
memory of the prestigious family names that the
clan enjoys.
Phoenix vessels are a dichotomy. The majority
of their ships are on the small side. They're
extraordinarily well-designed and well-built,
with highly trained crew. They can outfight
anything of their size or crew contingent.
They're also easily outnumbered by the larger,
cheaper, more populous craft of any of the other
major clans. The very few larger ships, however,
are different. Referred to as the World breakers,
these vessels are designed to contain and make
full use of the sheer number and force of
Shugenja that the Phoenix can bring. The raw
power of these vessels is frankly horrifying, with
almost absurdly powerful shields, and mystic
attacks that are said to reach out and swat entire
fleets out of the sky. The Phoenix do not bring
these vessels to battle often, however - partly
because they do not wish to visit that horror
upon the other clans, and partially because if
they were often deployed, the other clans would
have to design and field counters to them.
Losing even one of the great ships would be
crippling to the clan, simply from the sheer
number of shugenja who would die with the
ship.

Scorpion vessels are hard to spot, and hard to

target. They have excellent ECW and ECCW,
the next best thing to cloaking, and a fondness
for torpedoes. Hunting a Scorpion vessel is
harrowing work. Of course, all of that comes at a
price. If you can manage to burn through the
fog, their mobility and evasion are mediocre, and
their durability is poor. The use of torpedoes also
means that they have limited stamina. Note that
the Scorpion often customizes their torpedoes to
the navy that they expect to be fighting. A well-
prepared Scorpion striking unexpectedly from
stealth can be deadly almost no matter who you
are. Dark rumors also speak of even quieter
boarding torpedoes, crammed full of stealth, that
allow the Scorpion to infiltrate ninja on board
mid-transit with no one the wiser. A saboteur
thus infiltrated cannot move too quickly or
openly, but over time, what they can do will
cripple the vessel, killing it slowly.

Spider vessels are varied but always disgusting for

all other clans, mixing technology with flesh and
maho. They always seem to emit dark energy
and fearing auras where they appear. They crew
often include large portions of undead or even
worse... Seeing a Spider vessel coming to you is
always a source of anxiety and nearly always bad
news. It’s dangerous to board such a ship because
you can never predict if you’ll leave it and what
you’ll find inside. Even more terrifying: they’re
often corrupted by Shadowlands Taint…

The Unicorn runs larger ships with powerful

radiant cannons strengthened by the power of
their shugenja. They’re well known for their hit-
and-run tactics using their superior engines.
They’ve also the most developed fleet of
transport vessels and have the fastest ships of the
Empire.

10
 All the ships and spatial stations are characterized by some values derivate from size:

1 0-1 10 5-20m 5 +6 600 Tanto

2 2-3 12 21-50m 7 +5 1500 Baraunghar, Teppoudo, Shuriken, Sherpa
3 4-9 14 51-100m 10 +4 3200 Atakebune, Ninja, Kobune, Tortoise, Yuso
4 10-27 16 100m-200m 14 +3 6500 Ide, Kagaku, Hankyu
5 28-81 18 200m-400m 19 +2 13200 Wakizashi, Igaku, Yumi
6 82-243 20 400m-800m 24 +1 26500 Katana
7 244-732 22 800m-1,5km 32 0 54000 Torid-e Station
8 733-2199 24 1,5km-3km 39 -1 1 09000 Daikyu
9 2200-6600 26 3km- 6 km 50 -2 2 20000 Testubo, Shiro Station
10 6601-19800 28 >7km 60 -3 5 00000 Kyuden Station

The ship Size is an exponential scale, only a
global measure of her real size. Two ships of the
same size have nearly never the same measures.
One can be higher but shorter for example.
Nearly every ship must be operated by a
Minimum Crew for maximum efficiency. The
GM may decide when you don’t satisfy the
minimum crew to reduce the console’s bonus by
the same fraction of lacking crew.
(Ex: a size 4 ship needs 10 minimum crew members. If
she has only 5 crew members, it lacks 50% of
minimum crew so all the bonus are reduced by 50%)
Often, they also carry passengers but the total
number of people aboard a ship would never
exceed the Maximum crew value. The crew
capacity increases logically with the size of the
ship.
Each ship has a number of basic Traits Points
determined by the chart above. Those points
must be distributed between all the ship’s traits.
The traits measure the real capacities of a ship.
of free equipment slots when removing increase,
it.
The Movement modifier determines the easiness
of the ship to move. The larger a ship is, the
slower she’ll be.
The Average Basic cost gives an idea of the
value of a new ship in koku without any
equipment.
The Insight Rank of a ship is measured by
adding all of a ship’s Rings together and
multiplying them by ten, then adding the total
of her consoles’ bonuses together and adding it
to the total from the Rings. (See Core Rules
Book p.104 for more information)
(Ex: a ship with all five Rings at 2 and with a total of
20 ranks in bonuses would have an Insight of 120 and
an Insight Rank 2)
The Initiative determines the order of action of
all ships in a battle. The Initiative is equal to:
Insight Rank + Reactivity Trait – Ship Size

The number of Equipment Slots determines the
quantity of additional equipment she can carry.
The higher the ship size, the higher would be the
equipment slot number, just because she has
more place to wear equipment. Number of
equipment slots is determined in the table
above. Installing new equipment reduce number
A ship may receive Shadowland Taint just like
any object or character. When a living creature
travels aboard a corrupted ship, she receives
automatically 1 shadowland taint point per
complete week. All ships begin their life with a
shadowland taint of 0. Some weapons effects,
magic or environmental conditions may increase
this.

11
 The Air Ring is determined by adding the ship
overall Shields output Trait and its Reactivity
trait. All the Radiant shields output are
The ship’s rings functions quite the same way as
calculated with the Air Ring as a basic. The
those of a creature or a character. They’re still
reactivity measures the easiness to maneuver and
limited to a value of 10 but have not the same
operates the ship properly. When the Air Ring is
purpose:
reduced to 0, the ship cannot restore her shields,
crew operations are really difficult and she is
The Earth Ring is determined by the addition of
exposed to all the dangers of space. Move
the overall structural Solidity trait and the level
without an operating shield can be very
of internal Security trait of the ship. It gives the
hazardous as even the smallest asteroid could
number of Hull Structural Points of the ship, her
damage the hull.
“Life Points” and the Hull Reduction, her
Shield Regeneration: Air Ring x 2 Per round.
“Armor TN”, just as a samurais. The higher the
Earth Ring should be, the more difficult it would
The Void Ring is equal to the ship’s Artificial
be to penetrate the ship or her computers. High
Intelligence Trait -1. It functions the same way
values translate multiple indoor shielded doors
as for the samurais except that a ship has her
or highly efficient antivirus or security programs.
own reserve of Void Points that can be used only
When the structural points or Earth Ring values
to augment rolls based on the ship’s systems. To
are reduced to 0, the ship is very vulnerable.
recuperate Void Points, the ship must dock at a
station or land (if she can) for at least 8
Basic Hull Structural Points = Earth Ring X20 X
uninterrupted hours.
Ship Size
Basic Hull Reduction = Earth Ring X2

The Fire Ring is calculated by adding the ship’s

Power output trait to its global Artificial
Intelligence trait. For example, radiant weapons
damages are calculated with the Fire Ring. A
high artificial intelligence trait denotes the ship
capacity to do things by herself without crew
assistance. When the Fire Ring is reduced to 0,
the ship is disabled. The crew relies only on raw
power from emergency batteries to maintain Life
Support systems, cannot open fire (even with
projectile weapons as they are guided by
computer) or operate other complex systems like
computers programs.

The Water Ring is obtained by adding the ship’s

sub light Engine output trait with the strength of
her Sensors trait. The higher the ring, the faster
the ship would be and the farer she would
perceive. Even Large ships or stations have a
Water Ring value of 1 at least in form of
positioning thrusters but also to see properly
what is around her. When the Water Ring is
reduced to 0, the ship is adrift and blinded. She
is in danger has she see nothing, cannot move by
herself and drift in space. Orbiting ships and
stations loss their orbital stability and should be
destroyed if they enter the atmosphere without
the appropriate equipment.
Movement Rate= Water Ring + Movement

12
The larger a ship is, slower she will be as the size increase the risk of collision. Travelling without fresh
information or to unknown space is very hazardous. Most of known Rokugan space is equipped with
Yumeji News Network relays and beacons that provide up to date navigational information.

1 9 squares 11 squares 13squares 3300 km/h 2 400 000 km/h

1 8 squares 10 squares 12squares 3000 km/h 2 100 000 km/h
2 7 squares 9 squares 11 squares 2700 km/k 1 800 000 km/h
2 6 squares 8 squares 10 squares 2400 km/h 1 600 000 km/h
3 5 squares 7 squares 9 squares 2100 km/h 1 400 000 km/h
4 4 squares 6 squares 8 squares 1800 km/h 1 200 000 km/h
5 3 squares 5 squares 7 squares 1500 km/h 1 000 000 km/h
6 2 squares 4 squares 6 squares 1200 km/h 800 000 km/h
7 2 squares 3 squares 5 squares 900 km/h 600 000 km/h
8 1 square 2 squares 3 squares 600 km/h 400 000 km/h
9 0 square 1 square 2 squares 300 km/h 200 000 km/h
9 0 square 0 square 1 square Maintain position Maintain position

Movement Rate= Ring Water + Movement Modifier

Ramming Damage= Size² X Movement squares of the last action

* With a speed of 3 squares, Superior Engine equipment not included

* No additional raise to the Spell Casting Roll or time reducing equipment included

13
 weapons of the ship in times of battles and
monitors launch bay activity.
The ship’s crew uses computers for all the
operations inside the ship. When a crew member The Navigation console contains all stellar maps
uses a ship system aboard the ship to make and last navigation information at disposal and it’s
something, she adds a bonus after making the roll. often linked to Piloting console that controls ship
The bridge (or cockpit) often has specialized thrusters, engines and acceleration dampeners.
stations for special uses:
The Engineering console is often in the main
engine room of the ship and controls hull integrity,
ship shields, power supplies, energy allocation,
Environmental and Ship Size All rolls made computer core and program operations, etc.
Survival to survive
aboard The Science console is a derivate and specialized
Security Ship’s Earth Investigation tactical console about science activity and research.
Ring (Intern She contains a Science database and mainly uses
operations) the ships ‘sensors and radars to examine the outside
Engineering Ship’s Earth Artisan, Craft,
Ring Engineering,
of the ship and conduct experiments.
Forgery
Communication Ship’s Water Courtier, The Medical console is at the sickbay of the ship.
Ring Cryptography, Often coupled to relay the environmental and
Etiquette, survival systems, medical console can detect largely
Sincerity, spread diseases and poisons. She serves to
Commerce, coordinate the medical care and global health of
Intimidation, the crew.
Temptation
Tactical Ship’s Fire Battle, Defense,
Ring Hunting, Ship
Weapons
Navigation Ship’s Water Navigation All the ships are considered to have the minimum
Ring vital accommodations to support their crew such as
Piloting Ship’s Air Piloting, crew barracks or cockpit, life and environmental
Ring Stealth (ship)
systems, acceleration dampeners, artificial gravity,
Science Ship’s Investigation
Artificial (Extern simple computers, etc. Equipment Slots only serve
Intelligence operations), to track and measure special or advanced
relevant Lore equipment.
Medical Ship’s Medicine,
Artificial relevant Lore The Cost of all of these ship weapons, ship shields,
Intelligence upgrades and pieces of equipment is roughly equal
to: Number of slots (after applying clan reduction)
The Environmental and Survival station is the X 100 kokus.
working console for all minimum vital
accommodations to support the crew just as Time for installing or modifying equipment (in
artificial gravity, air recycling and conditioning days): (Ship Size) X (Number of Equipment Slots
system, food supplies, lights, oxygen supplies, water of the modified equipment) / (Number of workers)
and waste recycling, etc. It’s is totally independent
from all others systems with its own backup
batteries.

The Security console govern all the internal

security, not only prisoners’ cells but also internal
gas, fire or radiation detectors, computer anti-virus
programs, intrusion detectors, etc. It’s also often
coupled to the Communication console that
servers emit both internal and external messages
and contains languages translator’s algorithms and
Tactical console that mainly controls shields and
cloaking devices activation, sensors, radars and

14
 Damage: 10k8 (Ignores 8 points of
Reduction against targets not protected by
radiant shields. A hit also inflicts 4k4 of
“splash” damage to anything one square of
Slot Size: 1
the impact point.
Operating Skill: Use Computer
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per round
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Range: 5
ā
Damage: (Fire RingX1)k2 Ignores 5 points
Slot Size: 3 (-1 for Hare)
of Reduction against targets not protected
Operating Skill: Use Computer
by radiant shields)
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per round
Range: 1
Damage: 0. All Spell casting rolls within a
4X4 square area must be done with 3
Slot Size: 3
Raises or fail automatically
Operating Skill: Use Computer
Rate of Fire: 1 layering per round
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Often used to set traps, blockades or ambushes, it
Range: 5
disrupts the capacities of shugenjas and interferes
Damage: (Fire RingX2)k5 (Ignores 10
thus with a fleet capacity to retreat.
points of Reduction against targets not
protected by radiant shields. The damage
applies to the point of impact. If the target
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Hare)
is not sufficient to stop the blast (GM’s
Operating Skill: Use Computer
discretion), the cannon applies 6k6 to
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
everything in a hundred-foot line behind
Range: 1
the point of impact, then 4k4 for another
Damage: 4k4 (Ignites when a ship is next
hundred-foot line beyond that.
to her. Ignores 5 points of Reduction
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per minute
against targets not protected by radiant
shields. A hit also inflicts 2k2 of “splash”
damage to anything within 2 squares of
Slot Size: 6
the impact point)
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Rate of Fire: 1 layering per round
Intelligence
Often used to set traps, blockades or ambushes.
Range: 10
Damage: (Fire RingX4)k10 (Ignores all
Reduction, including the Reduction
Slot Size: 2
generated by the Isawa Fleetguard’s Ward
Operating Skill Use Computer (Tactical)/
of the Elements technique. The damage
Intelligence
applies to the point of impact, as well as
Range: 1
inflicting 5k5 of “splash” damage to
Damage: 4k4 (Ignites on impact. Ignores 5
anything within 2 squares of the target. If
points of Reduction against targets not
the target is not sufficient to stop the blast
protected by radiant shields. A hit also
(GM’s discretion), the cannon applies 6k6
inflicts 2k2 of “splash” damage to anything
to everything in a hundred-foot line
within 2 squares of the impact point.
behind the point of impact, then 4k4 for
Rate of Fire: 1 drop per round
another hundred-foot line beyond that.
Used in bombing raids against terrestrial
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per five minutes
installations.
Special: Fear 3 when used. If at least one
crew member operating the Daitsuchi has
the Ship Weapons Emphasis from the
Slot Size: 3
Engineering Skill, the Daitsuchi gains
Operating Skill: Use Computer
+1k0 to its attack roll.
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Range: 1
Damage: 6k6 (Ignites on impact. Ignores 5
Slot Size: 4
points of Reduction against targets not
Operating Skill: Use Computer
protected by radiant shields. A hit also
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
inflicts 3k3 of “splash” damage to anything
Range: 8
within 2 squares of the impact point.
Unprotected flammable targets catch fire.)

15
 Rate of Fire: 1 drop per round
Used in bombing raids against terrestrial
installations. This weapon is considered terribly
dishonorable for which employs.
Slot Size: 3
Operating Skill: Use Computer
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Range: 8
Damage: 6k4 (Ignores 4 points of
Reduction against targets not protected by
radiant shields. A hit also inflicts 2k4 of
“splash” damage to anything within one
square of the impact point.
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per round
Slot Size: 5 per piece
Operating Skill: Use Computer
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Range: 8
Damage: 10k10+30 (Ignores all Reduction
against targets not protected by radiant
shields. A hit also inflicts 10k8 of thermal
“splash” damage to anything within 6x6
squares of the impact point and EMP pulse
disable all non-protected electronic
devices in a 100km radius.
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per 10 minutes
Considered the most blasphemous, dishonoring and
last resort weapon, an imperial edict forbids its use
against any rokugani targets.
Slot Size: 1
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Intelligence
Range: 8
Damage: 1k1
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per round
Special: The ship has Chain Weapon Skill
by herself with a +1k1 bonus to its user.
Slot Size: 4
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Intelligence
Range: 4
Damage: 0
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per round
Special: Effective only if the shoot hit the
hull. The crew of the targeted ship must
attempt an Earth Ring/Stamina roll
against a TN equal to the Attack roll –
the targeted ship size. All who failed their
roll by 5 are Dazed. All who failed their
roll by 10 or more are Stunned. Perceived
as a very dishonorable tactic.
16
Slot Size: 3
Operating Skill: Use Computer
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
Range: 4x4 squares
Damage: (Fire RingX2) k2. All the ships
with the sphere of influnce take the
damages.
Rate of Fire: 1 shoot per min
This weapon causes a shield flash that emits radiant
energy in all directions. Used for ship personal
defense against fighters and small vessels. It can
have tremendous effects if employed within a fleet.
Slot Size: 2
Operating Skill: Artillery/ Reflexes
Range: 5
Damage: The spiders of Kumo's Children
land upon the Hull of the ship and begin
to rip at the armor plating.
The aim of this is to reduce a ships
reduction. Unless dealt within 2 rounds
will create a spot on the ship with no
reduction that requires 3 raises to hit it.
Each following Round will reduce the
number of raises required.
Should they remain still not dealt with
after 5 rounds, they will detonate for 3k3
damage. Fortunately, the machines are
designed to rip plates up, not cling to ships
Rate of fire: 1 shot per minute (5 per shot)
Slot Size: 1
Operating Skill: Artillery/ Intelligence
Range: 5
Damage: A raise must be called to this
weapon's attack roll due before firing.
Upon a successful hit, the enemy ship rolls
earth (TN 25) or a system is disabled for 5
rounds. Popular targets include Engines,
Shielding, 5 Equipment slots worth of
weapons or Life Support.
Targeting the last one is considered
similar to poisoning someone.
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per 1 minute
Operating Skill: Pilot/ Reflexes
Slot Size: 2
Range: 10
Damage: -
Rate of Fire: 1 shot per round
Not technically a weapon, boarding pods are found
on most large ships. The Pilot of the pod rolls
Pilot/Reflexes. On hit, the targeted ship has a
contested roll Earth vs Pilot's Fire. Success leads to
Hull Breach.

Slot Size: 2
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Intelligence
Provides shield protection equals to Shield trait
X10
Slot Size: 3
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Intelligence
Provides shield protection equals to Shield trait
X15
Slot Size: 4
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Intelligence
Provides shield protection equals to Shield trait
X20
Slot Size: 6
Operating Skill: Use Computer (Tactical)/
Intelligence
Provides shield protection equals to Shield trait
X30
Slot Size: 5 (-3 for Scorpion)
Operating Skill: Use Computer
(Tactical)/ Intelligence
The ship has Stealth Skill with a bonus of +3k3 to
operator and can totally disappear from direct view
but cannot activate shields or weapons when
cloaked. Rolls to detect her must be done with 4
Raises or fail automatically. Only one equipment of
this kind will be effective per ship even if more
than one can be installed.
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Crab)
Operating Skill: None
Provides to the ship crew a +0k2 bonus in Earth
Ring only to resist Shadowland Taint.
Slot Size: 3 (-1 for Scorpion)
Operating Skill: None
The ship has Stealth Skill and provides a +1k1 to
operator. Rolls to detect her must be done with 2
Raises or fail automatically. Only one equipment of
this kind will be effective per ship even if more
than one can be installed.
17
Slot Size: Shield Trait (-1 for Phoenix)
Operating Skill: None
The Ship Shields trait is considered on rank higher
for determining shields points only (doesn’t add to
air ring). Only one equipment of this kind will be
effective per ship even if more than one can be
installed.
Slot Size: 4 (-1 for Crab)
Operating Skill: None
The Ship Earth’s Ring is considered on rank higher
for determining Hull Reduction only. Maximum
one equipment of this kind per ship.
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Mantis, -2 for
Seahorse)
Operating Skill: None
The ship can operate and fly in aquatic condition
and is able to land or dock under water.
Slot Size: 2
Operating Skill: None
The ship can operate and fly in atmospheric
condition and is able to land or dock on a planet.
Slot Size: Size of the ship (-1 for Beaver
and Dragon)
Operating Skill: None
Reduce minimum crew by one half (rounded up).
Augment minimum cost by one half. Only one
equipment of this kind will be effective per ship
even if more than one can be installed.
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Tortoise)
Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Engineering)/Intelligence
A Cargo Jettison System allows a ship to dump part
or all its cargo into space without docking or
slowing down. This system is most often used by
smugglers.
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Crane and Imperial)
Operating Skill: Use Computer
(Tactical)/Perception
Rolls of Tactical systems made to fire a torpedo,
missile or bomb weapon on this ship must be done
with 2 Raises or fail automatically.
 Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Crane and Imperial)
Operating Skill: Use Computer
(Communications)/Perception
Rolls to send electronic messages on an area of 4x4
squares centered on this ship must be done with 2
Raises or fail automatically.
Slot Size: 4 (-2 for Mantis)
Operating Skill: Courtier/Awareness
This ship has the capacity to carry and launch an
equivalent of 50 ship size’s points but cannot carry
a craft larger than size 3.

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Phoenix)

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Spider) Operating Skill: Computer
Operating Skill: None Use/Intelligence
Replace the Fire Ring value by the Shadowland Provides to the ship crew a +0k1 bonus in
Taint Rank of the ship value when calculating the Spellcraft and Divination Skills. Augment the ship
damage of her Radiant weapons. Each shot cause a Void point maximum by 1.
number of points of Shadowland Taint equal to
Shadowland Taint Rank of the ship. Only one
equipment of this kind will be effective per ship Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Lion or Crab)
even if more than one can be installed. Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Engineering)/Intelligence
When this special system is activated, the Ship
Power trait is considered one rank higher. Cause 20
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Butterfly, Mantis and
damages to the hull without Reduction each round
Wolf)
the system is maintained operative.
Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Medicine)/Intellect
Cryogenic chambers are hibernation systems that
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Scorpion)
allow live creatures to be carried in stasis. Useful to
Operating Skill: None
haul herds of livestock, carry critically injured
The ship size is considered 1 less for purpose of
passengers, dangerous animals or criminal
Opening a space way casting roll only.
prisoners.

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Brotherhood and

Slot Size: Size of the ship X0,5 (rounded
Mantis)
up)
Operating Skill: None
Operating Skill: None
Provides to the ship crew a +0k1 bonus in
Augment minimum crew by one quarter rounded
Meditation and Tea Ceremony Skills aboard this
up. Add 2 Equipment slots.
ship. Augment the ship Void point maximum by 2.

Slot size: 1
Slot Size: Size of the ship X1
Operating Skill: Pilot/Reflexes
Operating Skill: None
Sometimes the best captains know when to live
Augment the maximum crew by the basic value of
and fight another day.
maximum crew.

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Crane and Ibis)

Slot Size: 4 (-2 for Spider)
Operating Skill: Use Computer
Operating Skill: Intimidation/Awareness
(Communications)/Perception
Reduce minimum crew by one half. No
The Ship Water Ring is considered on rank higher
environmental or survival systems needed. Add
for determining Communication bonus only.
half of the Ship size (rounded down) to maximum
equipment slots. Augment the ship Shadowland
Taint by 2 ranks that cannot be removed. Only one
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Lion and Crab)
equipment of this kind will be effective per ship
Operating Skill: None
even if more than one can be installed.
Augment the ship’s Initiative by 1.

18
 Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Mantis and Lion)
Operating Skill: None
Provides to the ship crew a +0k1 bonus in Jiujutsu,
Kenjutsu and Firearms Skills aboard the ship.
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Moth and Badger)
Operating Skill: Computer
Use/Intelligence
Provides to the ship crew a +0k1 bonus in
Computer Use Skill
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Unicorn)
Operating Skill: Piloting/ Reflexes
The Ship Water Ring is considered on rank higher
for determining Maximum Speed only.
Slot Size: Size of the ship X1 (-1 for
Tanuki and Ibis)
Operating Skill: Commerce/ Intelligence
Provides to the ship crew a +0k1 bonus in Perform,
Acting and Games Skills. For each buy you can
find a kind of this equipment for all the crew: a
food system, a holographic cinema projection, a
small shop, a bath installation, a hydroponic
garden…
Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Crab)
Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Engineering)/Intelligence
The Ship Earth Ring is considered on rank higher
for determining Engineering bonus aboard this
ship.

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Otter)

Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Medicine)/ Intelligence
Provides to the ship crew a +2 bonus when using a
medical console aboard this ship

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Mantis)

Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Navigation)/Intelligence
The Ship Water Ring is considered on rank higher
for determining Navigation console bonus and the
Ship Air Ring the same way for Piloting bonus
aboard this ship.
Reduce travel time between destinations 10%.

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Dragon and Phoenix)

Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Science)/Intelligence
Provides to the ship crew a +2 bonus when using a
science console aboard this ship

Slot Size: 2(-1 for Dragon and Scorpion)

Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Security)/Intelligence
The Ship Earth Ring is considered on rank higher
for determining Security bonus aboard this ship.

Slot Size: 2 (-1 for Lion)

Operating Skill: Computer Use
(Tactical)/Intelligence
The Ship Fire Ring is considered on rank higher for
determining Tactical bonus aboard this ship.

19

Size: 9
Approximate Cost: 225600 kokus (new)
Crew: 6000 Passengers: 600
Standard Class Equipment:
o Daitsuchi-class Heavy Radiant
Cannon (x2) (10g10+1 dmg)
o Ju-class Medium Radiant Cannon
(x2) (8g5 dmg),
o Ballista-class Heavy Missile
Launcher (x2) (10g8 dmg)
o Heavy Radiant Shield: 60 pts
Free Slots: 13
WATER: 4 AIR: 3 FIRE: 3 EARTH: 3 VOID: 2
Hull Points: 540 Initiative: -4 Reduction: 6
Movement Rate: 2 Insight Rank: 2
Tetsubo-class is very rare and carries enough
firepower to rival no less than 3 katana-class
dangerous ships.
Example of Ships in service:
-Emerald Blade (Imperial): Personal flagship of the
Emerald champion. Has protective shields that are
vastly superior to anything commanded by other
contemporary craft.
-Chomchog (Unicorn): Fitted to be self-sustainable
over long periods of time, it often orbits newly
discovered planets, serving as a temporary station.
It is lightly armed for such a large vessel, and as
such is often allowed in other clans’ systems, giving
the Unicorn considerable advantages for their
commercial and diplomatic efforts.
-Katsumaru (Imperial): It is one of many
bureaucracy-ships in the Exploration Corps. The
hundreds of the Imperial family samurai that live in
this converted battleship help oversee the Corps,
direct its efforts, and generally do the paperwork.
20
Size: 6
Approximate Cost: 28700 kokus (new)
Crew: 200 Passengers: 40
Standard Class Equipment:
o Daitsuchi-class Heavy Radiant
Cannon (10g10 +1 dmg)
o Ballista-class Heavy Missile
Launcher (10g8 dmg)
o Heavy Radiant Shield: 60 pts
Free Slots: 2
WATER: 2 AIR: 3 FIRE: 3 EARTH: 2 VOID: 2
Hull Points: 240 Initiative: -2 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 3 Insight Rank: 1
With its sleek lines and a shape reminiscent of the
weapon whose name it bears, the Katana is present
in the fleets of all clans, although the numbers
fielded vary greatly due to the vast. At the bare
minimum, however almost every family in each
Great Clan maintains at least one of these
magnificent ships as its flagship.
Example of Ships in service:
-Akodo (Lion): The first katana-class ship
produced in 2841
-Peaceful (Crane): Asahina family ship produced in
2872
-Tsukune (Phoenix): This World breaker is
rumored to have superior firepower to any other
save perhaps the Emerald Champion’s own
Emerald Blade, although the Tsukune has rarely
been deployed
-The Revenant (Spider): The Daigotsu family’s
lead battlecruiser is a monstrosity of steel and flesh
which very few samurai would wish to even see, let
alone board.
-The Vigilant (Scorpion): A patrol ship.
-The Defiant (Minor Clan Alliance): Financed by
several clans jointly and deployed only when the
majority of the Alliance votes for it.
 Size: 5
Size: 3
Approximate Cost: 15200 kokus (new)
Approximate Cost: 4000 kokus (new)
Crew: 30 Passengers: 50
Crew: 5 Passengers: 4
Standard Class Equipment:
Standard Class Equipment:
o Ju-class Medium Radiant Cannon
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
(x2) (8g5 dmg)
o Aquatic Operations Adaptation
o Medium Radiant Shield: 45 pts
o Arachi-class Light Radiant
Free Slots: 5
Cannon (5g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield: 20pts
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 3 EARTH: 2 VOID: 2
Free Slots: 2 (3 for Mantis, 4 for Seahorse)
Hull Points: 200 Initiative: -2 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 4 Insight Rank: 1
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 1 VOID: 1
Hull Points: 60 Initiative: 0 Reduction: 2
Far and away the most numerous ships found in the
Movement Rate: 6 Insight Rank: 1
fleets of Rokugan, slightly less than half the sizes of
a Katana-class, but require only a fraction of her
A smaller ship utilized mostly by the Mantis Clan,
crew.
it the smallest and remarkably swift vessel that can
bear the name of cruiser.
Example of Ships in service:
Example of Ships in service:
The Solitary (Unicorn)
-Crocodile’s Tooth (Crocodile)
-Hachiko (Dog)
Size: 5
Approximate Cost: 15500 kokus (used) Senkyōshi (The Brotherhood of Shinsei)
Crew: 50 Passengers: 30
Equipment: Size: 3
o Ju-class Medium Radiant Cannon Approximate Cost: 4200 kokus (used)
(x2) (8g5 dmg) Crew: 5 Passengers: 5
o Shinkei sogai Neural Inhibition Equipment:
Ray Cannon o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
o Grappling Launcher (X2) (1g1 o Medium Radiant Shield: 75 pts
dmg) o Meditation Chamber
o Medium Radiant Shield: 60 pts o Countermeasure Systems
o Superior Engines (X2) Free Slots: 0
Free Slots: 0
WATER: 3 AIR: 5 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 5 VOID: 5
WATER: 3 AIR: 4 FIRE: 4 EARTH: 4 VOID: 5 Hull Points: 300 Initiative: +6 Reduction: 10
Hull Points: 400 Initiative: +3 Reduction: 8 Movement Rate: 7 Insight Rank: 4
Movement Rate: 7 Insight Rank: 4

21
 Size: 3
Approximate Cost: 4100 kokus (new)
Crew: 6 Passengers: 1
Standard Class Equipment:
o Stealth Capacity
o Arachi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (5g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield: 20pts
o Superior Science System
Free Slots: 1 (3 for Scorpion)
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 1 VOID: 1
Hull Points: 60 Initiative: 0 Reduction: 2
Movement Rate: 6 Insight Rank: 1
A rumored Scorpion cruiser class with advanced
stealth technology and unrivaled surveillance
abilities.
Example of Ships in service:
Scorpion’s sting (Scorpion)
Size: 3
Approximate Cost: 4400 kokus (used)
Crew: 12 Passengers: 1
Equipment:
o Arachi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (X2) (3g5 dmg)
o Medium Radiant Shield: 30 pts
o Cloaking Device
o Superior Science Systems
Free Slots: 0
WATER: 4 AIR: 3 FIRE: 3 EARTH: 4 VOID: 4
Hull Points: 240 Initiative: +4 Reduction: 8
Movement Rate: 8 Insight Rank: 3
22
Size: 5
Approximate Cost: 15400 kokus (new)
Crew: 30 Passengers: 51
Standard Class Equipment:
o Arachi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (X2) (5g2 dmg)
o Medium Radiant Shield +
Reinforced Shields (60 pts)
o Superior Medical Systems (X2)
Free Slots: 2 (4 for Otter, 3 for Phoenix)
WATER: 2 AIR: 3 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 2 VOID: 1
Hull Points: 200 Initiative: -1 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 4 Insight Rank: 1
Igaku are mobile hospitals carrying enough medical
material to provide significant help. Passengers of
this ship are mostly patients. Many convoys have
often a medical frigate escorting them.
Example of Ships in service:
Wisdom of Furokujin (Phoenix)
Size: 5
Approximate Cost: 15500 kokus (used)
Crew: 30 Passengers: 75
Equipment:
o Hareyakana-Class Radiant Aura
Projector (5g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield +
Reinforced Shields: 40 pts
o Passenger Extension Module
o Superior Medical Systems (x2)
Free Slots: 0
WATER: 4 AIR: 3 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 5 VOID: 5
Hull Points: 500 Initiative: +2 Reduction: 10
Movement Rate: 6 Insight Rank: 3
 Size: 4 Size: 4
Approximate Cost: 7800 kokus (new) Approximate Cost: 8600 kokus (new)
Crew: 20 Passengers: 7 Crew: 20 Passengers: 22
Standard Class Equipment: Standard Class Equipment:
o Arachi-class Light Radiant o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
Cannon (2g5 dmg) o Aquatic Operations Adaptation
o Heavy Radiant Shield: 60pts o Arachi-class Light Radiant
o Superior Science Systems (X2) Cannon (2g5 dmg)
Free Slots: 1 (3 for Dragon or Phoenix) o Medium Radiant Shield: 30 pts
o Superior Science Systems
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 2 VOID: 1 o Equipment Extension Module
Hull Points: 160 Initiative: -1 Reduction: 4 (x2)
Movement Rate: 5 Insight Rank: 1 Free Slots: 2 (3 for Seahorse)

A vessel designed to provide a mobile facility for WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 2 VOID: 1
science studies and expeditions. Hull Points: 160 Initiative: -1 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 5 Insight Rank: 1
Example of Ships in service:
Designed for long-range exploration and longtime
The Eye of Kitsuki (Dragon) missions.

Size: 4 Example of Ships in service:

Approximate Cost: 11350 kokus (used) -Ide(Unicorn): produced in 3120 with phoenix
Crew: 30 Passengers: 2 collaboration in an effort to cross the western
Equipment: frontier of the Empire. Considered lost but
o Arashi-Class Light Radiant retrieved on year later.
Cannon (2g2 dmg)
o Medium Radiant Shield: 40 pts
o Superior Computer Core
o Holographic Communication
Systems
o Superior Science Systems (x2)
Free Slots: 1

WATER: 4 AIR: 4 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 4 VOID: 4

Hull Points: 320 Initiative: +3 Reduction: 8
Movement Rate: 7 Insight Rank: 3

23

Size: 8
Approximate Cost: 113800 kokus (new)
Crew: 800 Passengers: 1400
Standard Class Equipment:
o Launch Bay X2
o Super Heavy Radiant Shield: 90
pts
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon X4 (2g2 dmg)
Free Slots: 3 (7 for Mantis)
WATER: 4 AIR: 3 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 3 VOID: 1
Hull Points: 480 Initiative: -4 Reduction: 6
Movement Rate: 5 Insight Rank: 1
Rare, they’re capable of fielding 100 Tanto-class
fighters or 50 of heavier ones.
Example of Ships in service:
The Nest of the Wasp (Mantis)
Size: 8
Approximate Cost:
Crew: 750 Passengers: 2150
Equipment:
o Launch Bay X2
o Super Heavy Radiant Shield +
Reinforced Shields: 150 pts
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon X5 (2g2 dmg)
o Internal Command Center
Free Slots: 0
WATER: 4 AIR: 4 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 4 VOID: 4
Hull Points: 640 Initiative: +0 Reduction: 8
Movement Rate: 3 Insight Rank: 3
24
Size: 5
Approximate Cost: 14800 kokus (new)
Crew: 20 Passengers: 50
Standard Class Equipment:
o Launch Bay
o Medium Radiant Shield: 45pts
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon X2 (2g2)
Free Slots: 5 (7 for Mantis)
WATER: 2 AIR: 3 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 2 VOID: 2
Hull Points: 200 Initiative: -1 Reduction: 1
Movement Rate: 4 Insight Rank: 1
The most common class of carrier can transport
and maintain 50 fighters of any class.
Size: 4
Approximate Cost: 7700 kokus (new)
Crew: 10 Passengers: 27
Standard Class Equipment:
o Launch Bay
o Medium Radiant Shield: 45pts
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon X2 (2g2)
Free Slots: 2 (4 for Mantis)
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 2 EARTH: 2 VOID: 1
Hull Points: 160 Initiative: 0 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 5 Insight Rank: 1
The smallest carrier can hold only a single
squadron of 25 tanto fighters and must often rely
on her fighters for her own defense.

Size: 3
Approximate Cost: 4100 kokus (new)
Crew: 5 Passengers: 8
Standard Class Equipment:
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (1g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield :20 pts
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
Free Slots: 3
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 2 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 120 Initiative: 0 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 6 Insight Rank: 1
The most common type of ship seen in the trade-
lanes and skies of the Empire.
Size: 2
Approximate Cost: 2100 kokus (new)
Crew: 2 Passengers: 1
Standard Class Equipment:
o Light Radiant Shield :10 pts
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
o Cargo Jettison System
Free Slots: 1 (2 for Tortoise)
WATER: 2 AIR: 1 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 2 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 80 Initiative: 0 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 7 Insight Rank: 1
Used to carry containers from planet to planets, she
has very low accommodations or comfort to offer.
25
Size: 4
Approximate Cost: 7900 kokus (new)
Crew: 10 Passengers: 27
Standard Class Equipment:
o Passenger Extension Module
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
o Light Radiant Shield: 10pts
o Reinforced Hull
Free Slots: 0 (1 for Crab)
WATER: 2 AIR: 1 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 3 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 320 Initiative: -1 Reduction: 8
Movement Rate: 5 Insight Rank: 1
Very tough and robust ship, used to carry up to 27
persons safely to battlefields. But she is not
adaptable, has very low accommodations and
comfort to offer and wears no weapons.
Size: 3
Approximate Cost: 4000 kokus (new)
Crew: 2 Passengers: 7
Standard Class Equipment:
o Light Radiant Shield: 20 pts
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
o Recreation and Entertaining
Facilities
Free Slots: 2 (3 for Tanuki and Ibis)
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 2 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 120 Initiative: 0 Reduction: 4
Movement Rate: 8 Insight Rank: 1
This shuttle is the standard mean of transport for a
samurai on personal journey in space.

Size: 1
Crew:1 Passengers: 0
Approximate Cost: 1000 kokus (new)
Standard Class Equipment:
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (1g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield: 10pts
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
Free Slots: 1
WATER: 2 AIR: 1 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 1 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 20 Initiative: +1 Reduction: 2
Movement Rate: 8 Insight Rank: 1
A small, single-pilot combat craft, vital to any
fleet. These “fighters” are used to great effect during
large-scale battles but are unable to access faster
than light travel even if the pilot is a shugenja.
Size: 2
Approximate Cost: 2600 kokus (new)
Crew: 2 Passengers: 0
Standard Class Equipment:
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (1g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield: 10pts
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
Free Slots: 2
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 1 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 40 Initiative: +1 Reduction: 2
Movement Rate: 7 Insight Rank: 1
A two-person version of the Tanto used mostly by
the Unicorn Clan. A pilot and a shugenja operate
the craft, which (thanks to a shugenja) can use
Opening a Space Way to make highly efficient
faster-than-light jumps.
26
Size: 2
Approximate Cost: 2500 kokus (new)
Crew: 2 Passengers: 0
Standard Class Equipment:
o Atmospheric Flight Adaptation
o Light Radiant Shield: 10pts
Free Slots: 7
WATER: 2 AIR: 2 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 1 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 40 Initiative: +1 Reduction: 2
Movement Rate: 7 Insight Rank: 1
Versatile “heavy” fighter used to carry a bomb
dropper, a mine layer or a torpedo launcher. She
must be escorted by other fighters because has only
limited dogfighting capacity.
Size: 2
Approximate Cost: 2600 kokus (new)
Crew: 2 Passengers: 0
Standard Class Equipment:
o Arashi-class Light Radiant
Cannon (1g2 dmg)
o Light Radiant Shield: 10pts
o Superior Engines X2
Free Slots: 0 (2 for Unicorn)
WATER: 3 AIR: 1 FIRE: 1 EARTH: 1 VOID: 0
Hull Points: 40 Initiative: +1 Reduction: 2
Movement Rate: 10 Insight Rank: 1
Mostly in use in Unicorn fleets, the shuriken is a
very fast space-only operation fighter used to
maintain space domination and superiority against
other fighters.

The spells in the basic rulebook still apply in the
Emerald Star Empire, but a few new ones have
been devised to take advantage of the options the
modern world provides.
AIR, MASTERY LEVEL 1
OPENING A SPACE WAY
Ring/Mastery: Air 1 [Travel] [Technology]
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One targeted ship
Duration: Until arrival at destination
Raises: You must take raises equal to ship
size then you can try to add additional
raises to reduce time travel:
Number of additional Raise(s) Time travel reduction
1 10%
2 20%
3 25%
4 30%
5 33%
6 or more 35%
Ex: Trying to open the way for a ship of size 7 with a time travel
reduction of 25% needs a TN 60 roll (10 raises). You can then
divide the casting to 6 simultaneous TN 10 rolls or 3
simultaneous TN 20 rolls. All the rolls must succeed to open the
way portal or a travel mishap may occur at GM discretion.
You entreat the kami to open a shimmering portal
between two locations, allowing travel between
them. The distance traveled is still the same, but
the travel time is exponentially reduced. The spell
manifests as a glowing silver doorway leading into
nothingness and require a space of vacuum. (It
shall work in any atmosphere with tremendous
risks) Once the ship bearing the shugena passes
through, the doorway vanishes. At the end of the
journey, another doorway appears at the spell’s
destination and vanishes once all the travelers had
passed through it. More than one shugenja is
required to render possible the fast journey of larger
ships.
AIR, MASTERY LEVEL 2
WHISPERS OF THE CITY
Ring/Mastery: Air 2 [Divination]
Range: Self
Area of Effect: A zone of 5 miles of
diameter.
Duration: 10 minutes
Raises: Range (+2 miles per raise),
Duration (+5 minutes per raise), Special
(+1 question per 2 raises)
This spell permits you to ask a question to the
kamis of Air. For the duration of the spell, they spy
for you to the answer among the community’s
27
whispers and return you with it as fast as they can.
More populous the community, more confusing
might be the answer as they report it in the form of
bribes of voices of multiple conversations directly
reporting to the question. You may this way try to
localize an item or a person or find some news
about it but interpreting the results may be quite
frustrating.
AIR, MASTERY LEVEL 3
SPIRIT OF LIGHTNING
Ring/Mastery: Air 3 [Technology]
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: 1 Round
Raises: Special (Amount/clarity of info)
This spell is hearting a very specialized version of
the commune spell, used to commune with the
spirits of electricity. The spell was devised by
Phoenix shugenja in ancient times, but was
considered mostly useless since such spirits could
never be persuaded to remain still long enough to
communicate meaningfully with them. In modern
times, it has become indispensable, as it can be
used to communicate with electrical impulses in
mechanical objects. The most obvious use of this is
computers - if the right spirit can be found, it can
direct the shugenja wherever he may need to go to
find whatever information he seeks. (Note that this
is not of much use to would-be hackers. Most spirits
are loyal to the systems they inhabit.) It can also be
used to ask a spirit what it has seen anywhere on
the same electrical circuit. For example, a shugenja
could dial the phone, cast the spell, and ask the
spirit what it sees on the other end (even if no one
picked up the phone). Of course, if the other end
hangs up, the connection is broken. Electrical
spirits are flighty, excitable, and prone to
exaggeration.
WAY OF LIGHT
Ring/Mastery: Air 3 [Travel] [Technology]
Range: Self
Area of Effect: 2 miles
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Range (+1 mile per raise), Special
(+1 person travelling per 2 raises)
This spell permits you to travel at light speed
between two locations linked by a physical electric
network. It’s not a teleportation: you cannot reach
a ship in orbit from the ground or the center of a
virgin forest this way. You just disappear with all
the equipment you wear into a form of pure energy
and rematerialize within seconds to your
destination just as you were at your departure. You
must have been to the location of your destination
by the past and the network should be feed with
energy when you use the spell or you reappear at
the nearest point of your destination that fulfills
these conditions. Rumor says it that this spell was
developed by Monkey clan police officers to
facilitate their interventions.
EARTH, MASTERY LEVEL 4
HEART OF THE MACHINE
Ring/Mastery: Earth 4 [Technology]
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: 10 rounds
Raises: Duration (5 rounds per raise),
Special (+1k0 to skill per two raises)
This spell creates a link between a living creature
and an electronical device that they are in physical
contact with, giving each the understanding of the
other. As long as the two remain in contact, the
target is endowed with all knowledge of how to
operate the device, increasing his skill in using the
device by one (even if the current skill level is
zero). Note that this spell only functions on
electronical devices (vehicles, computers, power
tools) but not with simply mechanical objects
(fireguns, blades, simple tools…).
HEART OF STONE
Ring/Mastery: Earth 4
Range: Special
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: 10 rounds
Raises: Duration (5 rounds per raise),
Special (+5 Armor bonus per raise)
This spell allows the character to channel the
power of the earth through her own body to
extreme degrees. The caster becomes of the earth
itself, her body, clothing, and equipment becoming
solid stone for the duration of the spell. The caster
cannot move or speak while stone, and is very
dimly aware of the world, due to the spell's level of
concentration. On the plus side, her earth ring is
considered one rank higher for determining wound
levels, and her TN to be hit becomes equal to her
Earth+2X5. (Reflex bonuses to TN are negated
while stone.) Note that the character's appearance
will generally resemble the most common stone in
the immediate area, so the spell could be used as a
disguise, in an emergency.
28
FIRE, MASTERY LEVEL 2
TRADITION'S HAMMER
Ring/Mastery: Fire 2 [Thunder,
Technology]
Range: 50'
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: 5 rounds
Raises: Duration (+1 Round), Target (+1
target per two Raises)
This is a prayer to the Fortune of Thunder, using
the well-known tendency of lightning to disrupt
radiant technology. This spell targets a personal-
sized technological item, like a computer, energy
weapon, communications device, and so on, and
prevents it from functioning for the duration with a
powerful surge of energy. This can also target
vehicles with duration of one round instead of five,
with one raise for a small vehicle like a personal
transport, two raises for something with two or four
seats, and larger vehicles by GM judgement. This
cannot target devices that do not use electronics
(like radiant melee weapons or radiant armor) or
awakened items (like nemuranai or self-aware AIs).
FIRE, MASTERY LEVEL 4
TRIUMPHANT SURGE
Ring/Mastery: Fire 4 [Technology]
Range: 3’
Area of Effect: Self
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Duration (5 rounds per raise),
Special (-5 to TN Defense per raise)
When cast, this spell causes the shugenja to
suddenly be surrounded by a brilliant flash of
electricity. This surge is completely harmless to
living beings, though it may be startling. Its true
effect is upon electrical systems. Any electrical
device within the area of effect is rendered
inoperable for 1d6 minutes. More delicate devices
like computers may be permanently damaged, with
most of their files erased. Some devices, such as
Anago Supercomputers are shielded from electrical
surges, and the GM should assign a TN for the
shugenja to roll against (Using his Fire) in order for
this spell to work.
WATER, MASTERY LEVEL 5
DAIKOKU'S MILK
Ring/Mastery: Water 5 [Healing]
Range: Contact
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: Special
This spell is forbidden for all shugenja outside of
the medical profession. The target rolls his Earth vs
the caster's Water. If he fails this roll, the target's
circulatory and nervous system are numbed by the
milk, producing the following effects:
No Raise - he feels no pain (no wound penalties)
for one hour, but cannot combat and rolls one less
dice for all actions (similar to opium use).
2 Raises - he falls into a deep sleep within the next
ten minutes and cannot be roused for an hour.
4 Raises – the target’s heart stops within 10
minutes and he may die without medical attention.
If an individual uses Daikoku's milk three times in
the same week, the TN to resist its effects is raised
by ten. This effect persists until he stops using it for
one month. Daikoku's milk is very addictive even
after the first time it is injected.
MAHO SPELLS, MASTERY RANK 1
ENERGY OF MY BLOOD
Ring/Mastery: Earth 1 [Technology]
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: Instantaneous
Raises: None
As long as this spell is active, the caster may
operate a small electrical item (like a small lamp or
a portable personal computer but no weapon)
simply by holding it in her hand, using her own life
energy rather than a battery to fuel the device. For
the duration of the spell, each round of use cause
one Wound to the caster, which cannot be
prevented by any Technique, spell, ancestor,
advantage, or kiho.
MAHO SPELLS, MASTERY RANK 4
MACHINATIONS OF THE SOUL
Ring/Mastery: Earth 4 [Technology]
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
29
Duration: Permanent
Raises: Special (+5 to TN to resist for
every raises)
By means of this spell, the caster causes a living
being and a mechanical device to become one.
This change is permanent, and it is not pretty. The
device always replaces some portion of the subject’s
body (for instance, a sidearm becomes a hand, a
motorcycle replaces the legs, a living creature is
absorbed into a ship computer), and the flesh and
metal twist and melt together where they meet.
If the spell is cast upon an unwilling target, they
may make an opposed roll of their Earth vs the
casters in order to cause the spell to fail. After the
subject and machine have been combined, the
subject gains skill in using the machine at rank 3,
or adds one to his rank if it is already 3 or 4. The
machine is now considered to be alive and fully
part of the subject. Any damage done to the
machine is healed as if it was done to the subject,
and the machine no longer requires fuel or
ammunition. It now draws its sustenance directly
from a living being and the dark magic that binds
them. Note that when this spell is cast, the Taint
bestowed by it is shared equally by both the caster
and the target.
SOUL TWIST
Ring/Mastery: Water 4
Range: Touch
Area of Effect: One target
Duration: 3 Rounds
Raises: Duration (+1 round per raise),
Special (See description)
Believed to be a twisted version of the spell
Sympathetic Energies, Soul Twist exacts a much
darker toll on its target. This spell feeds off the
strengths of its victim, building the weaknesses of
its caster. The target's highest trait is swapped with
the caster's lowest trait for the duration. For
example, if the target's best trait was an agility of 6,
and the caster's worst trait was an awareness of 1,
the target would have 1 agility and the caster
would have 6 awareness for the spell's duration.
With two raises, the effect can be intensified,
causing the target to lose an additional point from
his trait after it is switched, and allowing the caster
to gain an additional point. If the target's trait is
reduced to zero or less, he will become
incapacitated for the duration due to the shock to
his spirit.
 but cannot copy somebody in particular. The
transformation does not alter the voice.
With the centuries passing new discoveries and
Chrysanthemum: the flower symbol of the imperial
techniques have been discovered. Here is a series of
line. You can heal yourself of a number of wounds
more than 40 tattoos coming from old editions and
equal to school rank X school rank.
the CCG. Some are adaptation from fictions (the
Kokujin tattoos except the Lizard).
Cricket [Continue]: When you get this tattoo, you
The references to Tsurai-zumi are to the now
must select and pay for one kiho. Your water ring is
defunct order of Hoshi, and the Kikage-zumi the
considered one rank higher for meeting the mastery
also defunct order of Hitomi.
requirement of the kiho, if he is of the water
As per 4th edition Core Rulebook page 115
element. You can add your school rank to your
Tattoos don’t have a number of activations per day,
unarmed attacks rolls when you are making atemi
but duration. Take the duration as the total
attacks with this kiho.
duration per day, but you can interpret it your own
way.
Crow [Continue]: the crow guided Shinsei and the
Thunders in the Shadowlands, and his multi-
The [Continue] tag signifies this tattoo is always
colored feathers all turned black. Now he is a
active and doesn’t prevent the use of others tattoos.
symbol of protection against the Shadowland taint.
When rolling to resist gaining shadowland taint
Avalanche: this tattoo is only given to Kikage-zumi
points (as long as you don’t willingly do something
and Tsurai-zumi. When this tattoo is active, the
to gain them, like casting maho), you roll a number
disarm maneuver only need one raise.
of additional dice equal to twice your school rank.
Bellflower: this flower is said to be the last thing
Dragonfly: you can activate this tattoo when you
Shinsei spoke to before disappearing from the
are the target of a friendly spell. The spell doesn’t
Empire and it has five petals, for each ring. You can
cost a spell slot to the caster. This tattoo effect end
activate this tattoo just before making a roll, you
immediately after. You can only target a spell of a
use your void ring instead of the normal trait. You
mastery level equal or lower to your school rank.
can spend an additional void point on this roll.
Dog: when you are performing the guard maneuver,
Bone: this tattoo is only given to Kikage-zumi and
your target gain a reduction equal to twice your
Tsurai-zumi. When activated, the tattooed monk
school rank.
can cast the Puppet Master maho spell (but as it is
not maho, it doesn’t need spilling blood, it is the
Elephant [Continue]: When you get this tattoo,
power of the tattoo), and the spell stay active until
you must select and pay for one kiho. Your earth
it is cast again or the duration of the tattoo ran out.
ring is considered one rank higher for meeting the
mastery requirement of the kiho, if he is of the
Butterfly [Continue]: When you get this tattoo, you
earth element. You can add your school rank to
must select and pay for one kiho. Your void ring is
your unarmed attacks rolls when you are making
considered one rank higher for meeting the mastery
atemi attacks with this kiho.
requirement of the kiho, if he is of the void
element. You can add your school rank to your
Eye: the power of the heavens grand you the
unarmed attacks rolls when you are making atemi
ability, when you use this tattoo, to cast sense,
attacks with this kiho.
commune and invocation, once each, within one
hour of the activation, as a shugenja of the same
Cat [Continue]: The cat enhances your ability to
school rank as yours.
appeal to others with your warm personality. You
gain the Benten’s blessing advantage.
Falcon [Continue]: Whenever you make an honor
roll, your roll a number of unkept dice equal to
Carp: the carp is a symbol of prosperity and good
your school rank.
fortune, and those tattooed men who bear its tattoo
embody those traits. It can be activated before
Fan: you can activate this tattoo when someone is
making a roll, and for this roll the 9′ explode as 10′
attempting a contested roll based on awareness
(remember that a second 9′ doesn’t explode).
against you. You roll a number of unkept dice equal
to your school rank. Any contested roll based on
Chameleon: a symbol of illusion and misdirection.
awareness during the duration of the tattoo effect
As long as the tattoo is active, the Ize Zumi can
will have the same bonus.
alter his/her appearance to look like somebody else,

30
Hare: the ise-zumi can add twice his school rank to
his water ring for determining movement rates.
Hummingbird: when this tattoo is activated, all the
TNs of disarm, knockdown, called shots, extra
attack and feint maneuvers against you are
increased by your school rank X 5. Notice that this
effect will not prevent the attack to hit: if the
attack beat the original TN (with the raises), it
stills hits. The maneuver will only succeed if the
attack roll beat the increased TN.
Hurricane [Continue]: When you get this tattoo,
you must select and pay for one kiho. Your air ring
is considered one rank higher for meeting the
mastery requirement of the kiho, if he is of the air
element. You can add your school rank to your
unarmed attacks rolls when you are making atemi
attacks with this kiho.
Kitsu: when activated, you can use the Kitsu
shugenja technique the eyes of the ancestor as if
you were a shugenja of a school rank equal to yours.
Lynx: when activated, you gain a number of free
raises equal to your school rank per turn that can
only be used for the extra attack maneuver. All
your attacks must be unarmed while this tattoo is
active.
Monkey: once activated this tattoo grants you a
number of unkept dice equal to twice your school
rank to your Athletics rolls.
Moon (crescent): this tattoo is only given to
Kikage-zumi and a few Tsurai-zumi. For a void
point, the Ize Zumi can become a shadow for
school rank X 10 minutes. He/she is non-physical
and can go anywhere a shadow can go, but cannot
go through objects. Magic affect him as if he/she
was normal. He/she suffers a full rank of wounds at
the start of each hour in this form, and cannot use
any skills or techniques, and he/she cannot talk.
This tattoo can be stopped at any time.
Moon (full): once a mark of the Kikage Zumi, and
rarely of the Tsurai Zumi, this tattoo is activated
after an unarmed attack is successful. Your target
loses a void point in addition to any damage or
effect of the attack. If your target doesn’t have any
void points left, you gain a void point instead, that
last until the next dawn if not used before.
Moth: as someone once said, be like the moth, seek
the fire of wisdom without fear. Once this tattoo is
activated, you are considered a Brotherhood monk
for the expenditure of void to activate kihos, as per
page 261, and you gain a void point every round at
your initiative. This void point can only be used
31
toward activating a kiho, and is lost if not used at
the end of the round.
Naga: this really rare tattoo, for so far only one
tattooed man has been showing it, grants you the
ability to have the Way of the land advantage for
the region you are in for the duration of your
School Rank in hours.
Night sky: this picture of a sky with stars is
sometimes seen as a sign of fate. When this tattoo
is active, opponents’ uses of re-rolls and void points
on actions against you are negated. They are aware
of the effect after the first time it has negated
something.
Nightingale: this tattoo lowers the TN of the
assessment roll during a duel by 10.
Orochi: a symbol of strength and violence, this
tattoo increases your TN to be hit by twice your
school rank while you are under the grappled
conditional effect, and you have one unkept dice
for your grappling rolls
Panther: this tattoo is only given to Ize-zumi and a
few Tsurai-zumi. The Ize Zumi rolls school rank
additional dice for stealth when the tattoo is
active. Last a number of hours equals to your school
rank.
Pine: once activated, you can remove one
condition effect from yourself for the duration of
the tattoo. If the condition effect last longer than
the duration of the tattoo, it resumes after, but the
duration of the tattoo is deduced from the duration
of the effect.
Salamander [Continue]: When you get this tattoo,
you must select and pay for one kiho. Your fire ring
is considered one rank higher for meeting the
mastery requirement of the kiho, if he is of the fire
element. You can add your school rank to your
unarmed attacks rolls when you are making atemi
attacks with this kiho.
Scarab [Continue]: the scarab is an insect found
across the Burning Sands, although the Scorpion
brought a handful of them back after that clan’s
banishment there. In the Burning Sands, the scarab
is seen as a symbol of the ruthless sun, a sinister
entity there but a revered deity in Rokugan. All
damage from heat and fire, magical or not, is
reduced by your school rank.
Snake: The Snake tattoo is among the most
dangerous and sinister of all Ise Zumi tattoos, and
usually only manifests on those who have the
strength of will to keep such power in check. After
making a successful unarmed attack, if any of your
damage dice explode, your target is now stunned.
Snow crane: a character with a snow crane tatoo
cannot have a crane tattoo and vice-versa. You
gain a void point that can only be used during a
duel, and your skills rolls regarding the duel are
increased by your school rank.
White Dragon: this tattoo is only given to Ize-zumi
and a few Tsurai-zumi, it symbolizes the wrathful
aspect of the fortune Inari. It uses the same rules as
the Dragon tattoo but using your water ring instead
of your fire ring and you have an ice breath instead
of a fire one.

Star: a symbol of renewal. When this tattoo is

activated, you can spend void points to have one
target ally within school rank X 10 feet gain a void
point. You can select a second target when you
reach the 3rd rank of the Togashi Tatooed order
school, and a third at the rank 5.
Sun (full): the glory of the day star gives the power
to gain a void point when activated.
Sun (rising): this tattoo is only given to Ize-zumi
and a few Tsurai-zumi. Since the creation of the
Brothers of Jade it has seen more use than before.
Once activated, all your unarmed attacks inflict the
blind condition effect to all targets that have the
Shadowlands taint. This status effect can be
removed by the same rules as the stunned
condition.
Tanuki: You can activate it during the initiative
stage of the round to add 1 dice + your school rank
to your initiative.
Tern: when this tattoo is activated, target an
opponent in your skirmish. His/her initiative is
reduced by your school rank. This tattoo has no
duration, and is activated during the initiative step
of the round.
Boiling pit of pitch [Continue]: this disgusting
tattoo offer protection against all fire, ice and
water-based attacks. You have a damage reduction
equal to your school rank against all fire and water
spells, kihos and effects (like the blaze tattoo). You
gain a shadowland taint points every week.
Obsidian: once activated, this dark tattoo grants all
unarmed attacks all the effect of obsidian and you
add your shadowlands rank to your damage with
unarmed attacks.
Shikibu no Oni [Continue]: this tattoo shows a
representation of the oni lord that stole the bodies
of the dead. It allows instant regeneration. You
heal a number of wounds equal to your school rank
each round during the reaction stage of the round.
You gain a Shadowlands taint points every week.
Tsuburu no Oni: this tattoo shows a representation
of the oni lord of gluttony. It allows the wearer to
blows a horrible wind of corruption or a split of
dark acid. It works like the dragon tattoo but
instead of using your fire ring use your earth or
Shadowlands taint rank.

Torii [Continue]: The TN of your opponent’s

assessment roll during duels is increased by your
school rank X 5.

Vine: this tattoo is only given to Ize-zumi and a few

Tsurai-zumi. When this tattoo is activated, you
recover school rank wounds per round during the
reaction stage of the round. While this tattoo is
active, he doesn’t prevent the use of another
tattoo.

Viper: after making a successful unarmed attack,

the victim is now fatigued if any of your damage
dice exploded. This status effect can be removed by
the same rules as the stunned condition.

Wasp: when activated, you gain unkept dice equal

to your school rank to one social skill of your
choice.

32

For more information and statistics, see the
Enemies of the Empire sourcebook.
GARUDA
At first appearance the Garuda, a race of tall and
strong bird people, are also quite connected to air.
However a closer look at their gold skin and
feathers, as well as studying their personalities, one
comes to realize that these highly intelligent, if
quick to anger species is actually slightly
imbalanced towards fire.
Technologically advanced and highly expansionist
the Garuda are second only to the Jigoku aliens as a
threat to the Empire in the eyes of the Owl.
However this same fire that burns within them
makes it very difficult for them to remain united
and they often fight each other far more than
anyone else, leading to some concerns among the
first Tortoise to interact with them, that they are
connected to Jigoku.
In a way it would be better if they were. Longer
study of the culture of the Garuda has shown a
strong resemblance to the ancient culture of the
Ivindi, up to including the names of the deities.
And while they cannot talk with the kami, they
recognize the kami in Rokugani technology.
There are grave concerns that wider knowledge of
the Garuda by the Empire could lead to another
religious war, or perhaps lead some Samurai of
Ivindi decent to do something rash in an attempt
to contact the ancestors that aren’t in Yomi
GOBLIN (BAKEMONO)
How some of them managed to survive the purge of
the Shadowlands centuries ago? No one’s knows.
But they’re still today a flail of some cities
‘underground where they survive in small packs,
living only on garbage, criminality and thievery.
They tried to mimic some kind of primitive
technology with no many successes.
JINN
The Jinn likewise were gaijin spirits, similar to
kami, and for a time the Rokugani considered
leaving them be. However, it quickly became clear
that doing so was not the correct answer and so the
Toritaka family and the Iuchi slowly but surely
figured out how to take them off world. Located on
the largest of the worlds orbiting the Burning Star,
the Jinn remain the most hostile to Rokugan.
33
RYUNIN
The Empire doesn’t know many things about this
nearly extinct species. Ryunins are surely parents
with the Ryu but no evidence of this has been
established truly. Only some samples have been
studied by the Kitsune family but no one of a ryu
has ever been collected to compare. The only
things sure are that they’ve a reptilian ascendancy
and are oviparous. It’s also known that Ryunin
have a clan society, they’re nomads and only the
strongest among them may survive, mate and rule.
No rokugani knows more on how their society
works, what they believe or even if they’ve magic
or gods.
These only partial information collected comes
from the ruins and very rare prisoners the Lion
Clan leaved on their planet after the war to
conquer it. They’re a proud people trying to defend
their land very aggressively. Perhaps if the first
contact would occur with another clan, perhaps the
things would have been friendlier?
But now the few remaining ryunins are hiding into
remote places on the world of the same name. They
would be ready to take a bitter revenge against the
Lion Clan if only they had a way to fight on the
same basis. Some enemies of the Lion clan already
try to pass them some technology, happy to exploit
some free but truly harsh and strong mercenaries
against them.
Only small pockets of them remains but their
guerilla and sabotage actions make tremendous
damages on lion’s outposts. The Lion Clan still
claims to have the total control of the planet but
imperial authorities shall surely discover the truth
early…

SAMPLE VILLAIN: RYUNIN WARRIOR (RANK 3)
……………………………………………………..
AIR 3 EARTH 3 FIRE 5 WATER 3 VOID 0
STRENGTH 6
…………………………………………………………...
“Honor”: 6.0 Status: --- Infamy: -6.0
Initiative: 8k5 Attack: Claws 8k4 (Simple)
Bite 5k4 (Complex)
Damage: 5k3(claws), Armor TN: 30
Bite: 4k4
Reduction: 5 Wounds: Human-type Wound ranks
Skills: Athletics 5, Battle 3, Defense 3, Heavy Weapons
3, Intimidation (Bullying) 5, Jiujutsu 4, Lore: Ryunin
Clans 5, Stealth 2
Special Abilities
Berserker Rage: On the first two Rounds of a
skirmish a ryunin’s frenzy makes it hit harder
and feel little to no pain. It adds +1k1 to its
attack rolls and increases its Reduction by 5 (to
a total of 10). These effects end on the
Reactions Stage of the second Round.
Fearless: Ryunins gain a +3k3 bonus to resist
Fear effects.
Huge
Regeneration: Ryunins heal 5 Wounds during
the Reactions Stage of each Round, continuing
to heal until they are killed. They can reattach
a severed limb in 2 rounds, as long as the limb
and the stump are held together continuously
for that time.
Swift 2
SCARAB
The Scarabs remain an enigma for the vast
majority of rokuganis. How have such abject beings
come into being? Some think of the influence of
the Jikogu’s Taint on the inhabitants of a distant
lost colony. Others put forward the same opinions
but add to hit a hint of genetics and forbidden
experiences. Still, the Scarabs are able to infect any
humanoid easily. Many object that this easiness is
an evidence of a link between humanity and these
aliens.
Their ability to transform any humanoid and make
it one of theirs in just a few hours renders them
34
very dangerous. They can achieve this via
mutagenic retroviruses that all of them carry in
their blood. It recodes the DNA of the victim and
transforms it into a repugnant creature that keeps
memories of its former existence. Above this, they
are not easy to detect as they have some stealth
ability and can remain hidden for a long time in
hibernation until it has the chance to multiply by
contaminating some victims.
They are not devoid of intellect but are not very
clever individually because moved by a common
goal transmitted by a kind of “collective beehive
consciousness” contained in their DNA that
quickly surpasses any individual will. This is the
number and their ability to tip their former
enemies into their camp which makes them so
terrifying. They easily adapt to any strategy they
have already encountered and store it in their
universal memory. No one has ever shown an
ability to cast any form of magic and they have no
proper god or technology.
But their strength also seems to be their weakness.
Their willingness to incorporate as much living
being into their hive may push them to some errors
or to fall into traps.
Magic affects them like any humanoid even though
they are particularly sensitive to sacred substances
such as jade, crystal and obsidian since they have
been described as being demons in the myths of the
Ivory Kingdoms and Senpet Empire.
Perhaps some ancient gaijin books have some
answers on how to beat them. But even in this
modern era is still information not easy to find…
SAMPLE VILLAIN: SCARAB DRONE TEMPLATE (RANK 3)
Change Rings and traits;
……………………………………………………..
AIR +1 EARTH -2 FIRE -1 WATER +2 VOID 0
REFLEXES +1 AGILITY +2 STRENGTH +2 INTELLIGENCE -3
…………………………………………………………...
Honor: Reduce to 0 Status: Reduce to 0 Infamy: -10.0
Initiative: becomes 8k5 Attack: Claws 8k4 (Simple)
Bite 5k4 (Complex)
Damage: 4k2 (claws), Armor TN: 15
Bite: 3k3 + Infection (See Special Abilities)
Reduction: 0 Wounds: Keeps Human-type Wound ranks
School/Rank: Keep the school and rank of the previous
existence but can use only Bushi and Courtier
Techniques.
Skills: Keep the skills of the previous existence and
upgrade or add those: Athletics +3, Defense +3,
Intimidation +6, Jiujutsu +2, Lore: Scarab Collective +5,
Stealth +5
Gain Special Abilities
Fear 4
 Infection: When a scarab bites a humanoid or
when one of them comes in contact with a
scarabs’ blood without proper protection, it
suffers a chance to be infected by some
mutagen retrovirus. The victim must succeed
an Earth Roll of TN 20 or will be transformed
into a Scarab within the next 12 hours.
Hibernation: A scarab can remain dormant
without suffering any damage for not feeding or
drinking for up to a month.
Universal Memory: Scarabs within reach of a
scarab hive always success Intelligence-based
tests.
Vulnerability: Jade, crystal and obsidian deals
double damage against them.
Swift 2
Collective Hive mind: Lose all Spiritual, Social
and Mental previous Advantages and
Disadvantages
TROLL
The trolls are still more stupid creatures than real
sentient species. But in some remote hidden
laboratory some Spider agents have a special
agenda for them: They try to control and even
enhance them with modern technology and maho
magic to form an army.
TSUNO
Tsuno are definitively not extinct in the modern
era. They have been fought on some remote
Toshigoku linked planets. Some of them are even
under their total control. Fortunately, their society
remains quite primitive to Rokugani standards. It’s
only a matter of time, the Lion Clan open a war
with them to clean their old dept with the Kistu.
The responsibility to monitor non-human non-
Jikogu-linked activity within the Empire is devoted
to the Owl Clan. But many others have interests
into non-human species.
ASHALAN
The Ashalan were one of the elder races, and were
never numerous, with few souls to go around - and
so little ability to breed. In fact, there are only
twelve ensouled Ashalan - anywhere. The rest have
no souls and instead serve the ensouled as best they
can, to ensure the race is propagated. They were
too small in number to be given a planet, but
inhabit a small protected station. They rarely leave
- they have no reason to any more, as they are
focused entirely on their own safety. When they do
leave, it is to study the sun and stars they consider
holy (though they can never stand under the direct
light of a sun in the same system as they are). They
are essentially irrelevant.
35
HANAJIN
The Hanajin are nice, and specifically fit into
Rokugan society to be harmlessly avoided. They
tend to subtly mimic the customs of the species
they're interacting with to get favorable outcomes.
Besides that, they're human-like, they adapt their
core philosophy's virtues to bushido. They mostly
interact with Clans who are open to aliens, and are
sometimes arrogant, not willing to share their most
advanced technology. But they don't really want
anything except a chance to meet people and bask
in the light of new stars.
KENKU
Many Kenku still lives into Sakkaru realm or
within the Empire, disguised into humans.
Unknown to the Empire is that some of them have
colonized centuries ago a remote gaseous world by
using portals. This planet is lying into a nebula and
many agents of the kenku works actively every day
to sabotage the Star Empire efforts to discover it.
No one knows how they will react if any imperial
could one day put a foot on their colony.
KIPARIXID
The Empires closes neighbor, the Kyparixid are
most closely comparable to bipedal flying insects. A
race strongly linked to air, they are only slightly
more primitive then the Emerald Empire, but far
more numerous due to how little space they thrive
in.
The Owl have found to their detriment
that the Kyparixid in many ways are more
traditional and ritual based then even the Crane
and Lion, with formal greeting ceremonies
commonly taking up to an hour. The Courts of the
Kyparixid are long, convoluted, and in the eyes of
the rokugani almost nonsensical affairs due to
lacking certain senses that the Kyparixid take for
granted, with a political structure that is half based
around religious numbers and half based around
ultraviolet colors on the insects flesh and where
skill plays almost little to no part.
Fortunately, the Merchant Class is far
more interested in money than rituals, although
often they will still wish to perform at least some
form of formal negotiations turning every
transaction into a minor court in and of itself.
KITSU
Most of the Rokugani believe that “true Kitsu”
have disappeared centuries ago with the creation of
the Lion’s Clan family of the same name. But they
have always been champions to detect portals and
evade the worst situations by passing through them.
With so many new worlds discovered, rumors
filtered that some explorers discovered evidence of
their presence on remote worlds. The Kitsune
family geneticists actively research on rare samples
that were founded to prove this and perhaps
recreate the species one day.
NAGA
Recently, sightings of snake-like creatures have
been increasing, but these creatures look very
different than the Naga that Rokugan knows. May
some of them live hidden on the most remote
planets? From now they’re only founded and
preserved in some remote places of Rokugan Prime.
Samurai were also careful and usually traded with
the Naga in orbit for safety reasons. However, the
Naga finally had a place where they could breed
peacefully.
Explores of the Naga race are extremely
rare, but they do happen occasionally, the urge to
wander filling them. Such Naga are warned to steer
clear of Rokugan, for approaching the world to
closely makes them more likely to fall under the
curse that had been used to trap the Naga race long
ago.
All the other sleeping Nagas are about to
wake up for third and perhaps the last time as they
are nearly extinct. The only hope to save their
species is to discover a new colony or to accept
cloning process and genetic manipulation proposed
by the Empire of Emerald Stars…
NEZUMI
The ancient race known as the Nezumi have been
allies of the Crab since the days of Hiruma Kazuma.
Now, however, all of Rokugan owes them a debt of
gratitude. Not everyone is so willing to repay this
debt, unfortunately. The Nezumi have found their
place in the modern world by founding the Waste
Disposal and Recycling Corporation. Many of their
factories employ low-ranking Nezumis but many of
them have been automated as well. They have no
central authority or estate as they sprayed
themselves quickly across the Empire territory.
NINGYO
This species long lived in a harsh environment for
humans. But the depths of the oceans are no more
a shelter for them because of the modern
technology of the humanity. They’ve sometimes
been forced out of their isolation by humans but
are still not very eager to cooperate or to
36
incorporate into modern society. The Seahorse
clan tries to explore new pelagic worlds to discover
more about this ancient civilization but lacks of
means to do it properly. They remain the main
contact ningyo tolerates.
OGRE
Now free from Jikogu’s influence Ogres retrieve a
few of their former intellect and try to reform some
communities. They cooperate with the Star Empire
and serve mainly as shook troops or heavy work
laborers. They only have small and poor
communities often near a city that employs them.
SASSATHIF
A Four-armed, eyeless reptile race, the Sassathif
were initially mistaken for another monstrous
relative of the Naga. However instead they are a
highly intelligent race that seems to have an odd
connection to the Realm of Animal Spirits. While
a cunning predator when they wish to be the
Sassathif would rather fight their equals, rather
than their lesser, and the discovery of Rokugan was
seen as a chance to challenge a new race of peoples
to conflict of the sword. The Owl delay formal
engagement for as long as possible however, trying
to find a way for the creatures to practice with and
againest the Bushi of Rokugan without it leading to
war.
The Sassathif have an oddly accurate yet bizarre
concept of their death and rebirth, believing they
will always be reborn in the same place over and
over again, trapped forever in Chikushudo. This
fact doesn’t seem to bother them and instead they
believe it means they can die again and again, in
search of greater glory, that they can always be
reborn to serve their lord again and again,
following the same ruler that has been reborn over
a thousand times.
They have a great love of silk, their Empire having
no source of it within its boundaries.
ZOKUJIN
Held underfoot by the slavery and subjugation of
the Lion Clan for centuries, the creatures known to
most only as Rock Goblins have begun to protest
for their rights. Will these simple creatures succeed,
or will they become a footnote to Rokugan's proud
history?
 What is not known, except to He who shall not be
Named, is that the Hakkakukei are but shells
animated by the seething hatred of once human
DOREIKU
things that live inside them; these warped souls are
Also known as “lesser dragons”, these canopy
corrupted and twisted into horrible little creatures
dwelling predators are native to the world known
by the evil of jigoku and now wish nothing more
simply as the Nest. Native to the world-spanning
than conquest and destruction in the name of their
jungles of this Mantis holding, many Unicorn once
lord and master.
made pilgrimages to this system in order to capture
and train Doreiku as flying mounts. Now, Doreiku
The Empire can be thankful, as whatever the
breeds can be found on many worlds inhabited by
source of these creatures seems to have vanished
the Unicorn Clan.
and the Hakkakukei are very rare. Though
……………………………………………………..
AIR 4 EARTH 3 FIRE 3 WATER 3 whatever allowed them to be constructed in the
STAMINA 6 PERCEPTION 4 first place may occur again and if that happens, the
…………………………………………………………... Empire will again be afraid of the Hakkakukei and
Initiative: 7k4 Attack: Claws 8k4 (Simple) their war cry of “Tayasu!”
Damage: 6k3 (claws) Armor TN: 30 ……………………………………………………..
Reduction: 5 Wounds: 25: +5; 50:+10, 45:+15, AIR 2 EARTH 3 FIRE 3 WATER 2
60:+20, 75: Dead REFLEXES 3 WILLPOWER 4 INTELLIGENCE 4 PERCEPTION 3
…………………………………………………………... …………………………………………………………...
Special Abilities: Initiative: 6k3 Attack: Slash 5k43(Simple)
Swift 4 (when flying) or Black Fire 7k3 (Simple)
Damage: 7k1 (slash) Armor TN: 25 or
ARASHITORA 3k2 (black fire)
During the exploration of New Kalani by Arashi Reduction: 15 Wounds: 20: +5; 25:+10, 30:+15,
40:+20, 50: Dead
Dairuko in 3018, the Mantis shugenja discovered
…………………………………………………………...
the “stormtigers” flying above the oceans of this Taint Rank: 6
world heavily influenced by Chikushudo. A Skills: Battle (mass battle) 3, Investigate (spot ambush)
mythical creature with the head, forelegs, and 3, Spellcraft 3
wings of an eagle, and the hindquarters of a tiger.
Also referred to as “thunder-tigers”. Special Abilities:
…………………………………………………….. Black Fire: this cold fire ignores armor TN
AIR 2 EARTH 3 FIRE 2 WATER 2 from physical armor and all reduction, anyone
REFLEXEES 4 STAMINA 2 PERCEPTION 4 AGILITY 4 wounded by the black fire must make a Void
AWARENESS 2 WILPOWER 2 INTELLIGENCE 2 PERCEPTION 3
roll (TN 10) or lose a point of Void. If they
…………………………………………………………...
have no Void left to lose, they are rendered
Initiative: 5k5 Attack: Claws 6k4 (Simple)
unconscious for 5 minutes.
Damage: 6k4 (claws) Attack: Bite 4k4 (Simple)
Death Feeder: heals [insight rank of victim]k1
Damage: 3k3 (bite) Armor TN: 30
wounds when it kills an enemy.
Reduction: 5 Wounds: 30:+15, 40:+20, 50: Dead
Dense: treat them as having an Earth or Water
…………………………………………………………...
of 5 to resist any attempt to move them against
Skills: Hunting 4, Stealth 4
their will.
Fear 4.
Special Abilities:
Swift 3 (when flying)
Fear 2

HAKKAKUKEI
These feared creatures founded on planets
corrupted by Jikogu appear as a floating eight-sided
obsidian pillar with an oversized helmet of black
steel and obsidian fused to the top. A single
glowing red eye stares out from the depths of the
helmet.

The Hakkakukei spit black fire from the depths of

jigoku as their primary attack, this fire is colder
than ice and can damage the very spirit of those
struck by it. It can lash out with shards of obsidian
against those who get too close.

37
 ARGCKLT

Argcklt dresses simply, usually in only trousers or a

loincloth. The zokujin have little value for material
KAIBUTSU
possessions, so he rarely carries any items.
Kaibutsu was always a good boy. He helped those
Argcklt is the son of the High Rockseer of
weaker than him, he loved the beauty of nature,
the Rejn. Though his father yet lives, he is ancient
and he'd sit for a long time, just thinking about
in the extreme, believed to be over a thousand
how wonderful it was to be alive. Of course, for an
years old. He has passed the leadership of his tribe
ogre, this was nothing more than a sign of
on to his son, along with all of the attendant
weakness. His father and littermates soon turned
worries and responsibilities. Since before most
upon him, attempting to eat him one day when
zokujin can remember, the Rejn tribe has been
pickings in out the city were scarce and the goblins
slaves of the Lion clan, treated little better than
were just a little too quick. Kaibutsu was
beasts, used for manual labor and other work
frightened, so he ran. He ran as far and as fast as he
deemed too dangerous for humans to perform.
could, he was more frightened than ever now,
because now he was alone.
Of late, Argcklt has become troubled. For
the first time in an age, freedom seems only a
The details of how Kaibutsu began to
breath away for his people. His actions during the
masquerade as a human and how he made his way
Senpet Invasion and Meda's Coup have even led
to the stars are unknown. What is known is that he
many humans to consider him a hero. He has even
worked as a pit fighter for a time, making just
become close friends with Kitsu Jurin, the daughter
enough money to survive. The strangely good-
of Kitsu Suro, president of Okurachem, the man
hearted ogre is happy to finally be part of
who holds more zokujin in servitude than any
something, even if it is an anarchist criminal
other. He is torn between the adulation of these
organization. Their constant crime and destruction
humans and his duty to his people. He must
disturb him slightly, but he doesn't say anything
struggle every day not to forget his true course, ever
about how he feels. After all, they're still a
keeping the needs of his struggling tribe first.
thousand times friendlier than his family.
And to make matters worse, his dreams grow
Kaibutsu always wears a coat over a suit of
disturbed. He can hear the breath of the earth in
black leather and boots, the usual garb of a pit
the night. The Bloodwhite Stone has been found.
fighter. He also wears a black wrestler's mask, with
And it is near…
holes cut into the forehead for his horns. To all but
……………………………………………………..
very close inspection, the horns appear to be part of AIR 3 EARTH 5 FIRE 3 WATER 3 VOID 4
the mask. He also carries a pair of brass knuckles in PERCEPTION 4 INTELLIGENCE 4
either pocket of his long coat. Kaibutsu never uses …………………………………………………………...
modern weapons; they seem somehow unfair to Honor: 5.5 Status: 1.0 Glory: 5.0
him.
School/Rank: Rockseer 5
……………………………………………………..
AIR 3 EARTH 2 FIRE 3 WATER 2 VOID 1
STAMINA 4 STRENGTH 5 AGILITY 4 Advantages:
…………………………………………………………... Clear Thinker, Enhancing Mutation: Night vision,
Honor: 1.5 Status: 0 Glory: 0.0 Stonemelt

School/Rank: Bushi Ogre 3 Disadvantages: Social Disadvantage - Zokujin, Soft-

Advantages:
Crab Hands (Melee Weapons Only), Great Destiny,
Hands of Stone, Large, Quick
Disadvantages: Black Sheep, Can't Lie, Gullible
Skills: Athletics 3, Hunting 2, Jiujutsu 4, Stealth 2,
Weapons 3
Hearted
Skills: Courtier 1, Craft (Chemistry) 2, Crystal Method 3
(zokujin’s equivalent of Tea Ceremony), Defense 2,
Engineering (Mining) 4, Lore (Law) 2, Lore (Element:
Earth) 3, Lore (Theology: Manha) 3 (Zokujin’s
equivalent of Shintao), Meditation 2
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, Argcklt has learned
and memorized all known earth spells

38
ZIN

She's been taught the naga magic over the course

of a century, and her soul has suffered for it. She
retains only fractured memories of her past life,
able to use her former skills at an instinctive level.
In facts, Zin is amnesiac. To tell further of it here
would do her great injustice, as her destiny is still
unfolding. It’s up to you to imagine what has
happened to her. Zin currently carries the Blades of
the Bright and Pale.
……………………………………………………..
AIR 4 EARTH 3 FIRE 5 WATER 3 AKASHA 1
INTELLIGENCE 4
…………………………………………………………...
Honor: 5.5 Status: 2.0 Glory: 3.0

School/Rank: Hiruma Scout 2, Naga Jakla 2

Advantages:
Amphibious, Benten's Blessing, Great Destiny, Multiple
Schools

Disadvantages: Amnesiac, Driven (to discover who she

truly is), Obligation (to save the Naga race)

Skills: Athletics 2, Craft (Pearl) 2, Hunting 3, Kenjutsu:

4, Lore (Pearl Magic) 3, Lore (Shadowlands): 2, Firearms
(Rifle) 2, Knife 4, Meditation 3, Stealth (Sneaking) 4

Spells: Because of her recent circumstances, Zin does not

currently carry any magical pearls.

39

RADIANT ARMOR
The armors worn by samurai are now afforded the
added protection of “radiant” energy. The armor
glows in direct proportion to the severity of damage
dealt to its wearer. Radiant Armor comes in all
variations of traditional armor, including: ashigaru,
light, riding, and heavy. It is very rare to see non-
radiant armor in use in this era, but many ancient
sets of armor are kept by families as heirlooms or
can be found in museums across the empire.
ATSURYOKU ARMOR
A variant of Radiant Armor, this modification
allows samurai to operate in the vacuum of space
without dire consequence. Pressurizing Atsuryoku
Armor requires a Simple Action Computer Use/
Intelligence Skill Roll with a TN of 15. Damaged
armor requires a Complex Action with the same
Skill to repressurize with a TN of 25.
SECURITY KIT
A security kit is a set of special tools for bypassing
electronic and mechanical locks. On most worlds
in the Empire, possession of a security kit is illegal
for anyone who doesn’t have the proper permits,
such as members of law enforcement agencies and
professional security experts. When using the
Hacking Emphasis of the Computers Skill to bypass
locks, using the Security Kit decreases the TN of
the task by 10.
Keywords: Small
Price: Because of the nature of Security
Kits, they are only available when issued
by a superior or when found on the black
market. (30 kokus)
NIGHT SIGHT GOGGLES
Keywords: Medium
Price: 24 koku
TRACKING BUG
Keywords: Small
Price: 40 koku

ALL-TEMPERATURE CLOAK LISTENING BUG

This wrap-around cloak protects its wearer from Keywords: Small
the elements and hostile conditions. Add a +5 Price: 40 koku
equipment bonus to all Rolls made to resist severe
weather. PORTATIVE LAPTOP COMPUTER
Keywords: Medium Keywords: Large
Price: 3 bu Price: 10 koku

ATSURYOKU MEMPO
This personal atmosphere-filtering system consists Data Cylinder
of a mask that fits over the mouth and nose. This Flare Gun with Flares
life-supporting mempo provides approximately 1 Flashlight
hour of breathable atmosphere before its filter and Flight Suit
atmosphere canisters must be replaced. To replace Electric Guitar
the filter and canisters, the user must make an First Aid Kit
Engineering / Intelligence Roll with a TN of 15. In Microphone
combat, this TN becomes 20. Money Credit Card
Keywords: Small Music recorder/emitter
Price: 5 bu Radio
Silencer
POCKET ADJUTANT Sunglasses
A personal communications transceiver, the Tool Kit
Adjutant is a standard issue model used by most Video Camera
Great Clans. Civilian models come in a variety of Video Game Portative Console
small shapes and styles. Some are built into helmets Walkie-Talkie
and armor; Imperial Legion armor includes a Wristwatch
kabuto equipped with an Adjutant. The range of
typical devices is 30 miles or low-orbit. For greater
range, an Adjutant must be connected to a more
powerful energy source, such as those built into
vehicles. For an added expense (5 koku), it may be
equipped with encrypting routines.
Keywords: Small
Price: 10 koku

40
 -4 0.5 Eta Shack 120
-3 1 Small Home 600
-2 2 Large Home 1800
-1 4 Apartment (Fleabag) 4/mo.
0 9 Studio Space (large, non-residential) 8/mo.
1 18 Apartment (Nice) 12/mo.
2 36 Apartment (Luxury Suites) 80/mo.
3 72
4 144 Note that all Housing Costs are roughly five times
5 288 as expensive on Rokugan or the World of Dreams,
6 576 with the exception of Large Homes and Luxury
7 1152 Suites, which are ten times as expensive.
8 2304
9 4608
10 9216

Very Cheap One light bulb, no 0.5/mo.

heating
Very Used Hiruma Kappa 35 Cheap Minimal electric 1/mo.
Senpet Surefire heating, piped water
Used, Decent Ide Oasis 44 supply…
Doji Centurion Average Normal electric, 2/mo.
Used, Nice Aurelian Danforth 66 heating, a/c, decent
Shiba Neo bath room…
New, Cheap Hiruma Jackrabbit 80 Luxurious Central air, multiple 5/mo.
Cricket Sunshot electric sockets in
New, Decent Senpet Jackal 150 each room, three
Cricket Comet freezers…
New, Luxury Otaku Vehement, 200 Very Swimming pool, 12/mo.
Ide Equestrian Luxurious private cinema…
Industrial Backup generators, 9/mo.
power tools,
Used, Decent Hiruma Steamer 30 supercomputers
New, Cheap Hiruma Exploder 50
New, Decent Ide Steadfast 190 So, an average samurai (status rank 4) living in a
New, Fast Doji Katana 250 studio space apartment with average utilities spends
New, Luxury Battle Maiden MC 500 about 24 kokus on utilities and 96 kokus on
housing a year.
This leaves him about 24 kokus per month to eat
New, Cheap Hang Glider 5 and to otherwise spend as he sees fit.
New, Cheap Ornithopter 60
New, Decent Ultra-light M. 90
New, Military Shiba Gyrocopter 30 00
New, Luxury Doji Jet craft 50 00
New, Civilian Ide Caravel 100 00

New, Cheap Inflatable Dinghy 20

New, Cheap Antic Kobune 50
New, Decent Modern Kobune 150
New, Military Small corvette 250 00
New, Luxury Doji Yack 100 00
New, Military Submarine 500 00

41

STANDARD SIDEARM
The traditional sidearm conforms to a common
pattern that is mechanically identical throughout
the Empire, although there are many variations of
outward design to suit the particular styles of a
given clan. One of the most ubiquitous such
weapons is the Mirumoto weapons called Twin
Radiance, which are intended to be worn in pairs,
and are freely sold to outsiders such as the Minor
Clan Alliance and various ronin groups.
Keyword: Samurai, Small
DR: 3k3
Range: 100’
Price: 5 kokus
STANDARD RIFLE
The most common battlefield weapons (other than
the katana), carried by virtually every samurai, and
is the standard energy rifle. The most common
version is the Akodo Arms Indomitable X32,
which has been in service for more than two
centuries with virtually no significant changes.
Keywords: Samurai, Medium
DR: 4k4
Range: 500’
Price: 10 kokus
HEAVY ASSAULT RIFLE
Despite the significant power of the standard
assault weapons carried by samurai troops, there are
times when greater impact is required. Weapons
such as the Kaiu Forge Devastator-class Siege
Weapon are renowned for their ability to threaten
the armor of even hardened targets such as armored
vehicles. The energy generated by such weaponry is
significant, and can even threaten those in the
vicinity if wielded without proper training.
Keywords: Large
DR: 6k5
Range: 400’
Price: 15 kokus
Special Rules: The sheer force exerted by
this weapon, not to mention its significant
size and weight, means it requires Strength
4 to wield properly.
42
MARKSMAN’S RIFLE
Certain circumstances require specialized weapons,
and while there are a wide variety of these in
existence, one of the most frequent is a rifle
customized for long range sniping. The Tsuruchi
are the natural masters of this particular art, and
their Distant Thunder model rifle is widely
considered one of the best such weapons on the
market.
Keywords: Large
DR: 6k3
Range: :1000’
Price: 15 kokus
RANGED WEAPON DAMAGE
Given the advanced state of technology in this
setting, it is only logical to assume that ranged
weapons in this era (which include both
magnetically-propelled solid projectiles and
outright energy weapons) should have a completely
devastating effect on anyone unfortunate enough
to be hit by one. However, scaling damage to suit
this idea will render melee weapons completely
obsolete regardless of their design improvements.
Thus, GMs should decide whether they wish to
focus their campaign entirely on ranged combat or
maintain a more “samurai-esque” balance between
ranged and melee combat.
If a balance is preferred, ranged weapons must stay
at a reasonable damage level, as depicted in this
chapter. One way to justify this is to assume that
armor technology has progressed at a similar level
and this is “built in” to the ranged weapon DRs. To
represent this, in those instances where a target is
struck by an advanced ranged weapon and is not
wearing any armor the GM should double the
damage (e.g. a standard sidearm would do a base
DR of 6k6). This allows for a reasonable damage
progression while still preserving some of the
setting’s cultural integrity. Note that the ranged
weapon DRs presented in this chapter assume the
characters are adding their Perception to the DR as
unkempt dice, much like Strength is added to
melee weapon DRs as unkempt dice.

These explosives are much generalized. To have
skill with using them, one must pick up the
Engineering (Demolitions) skill
All explosives list a TN. All targets in the
area of affect may roll their Agility+ Defense
against this number to take half damage from
the explosion by jumping clear.
The person using the explosive may increase
the TN by five for each two raises he makes
with his Engineering (Demolition) roll.
The explosives don't depend upon any
particular skill to do damage, so they do not
add strength or anything else.
You are always considered to be unskilled
when throwing an explosive.
Explosives for the most part are illegal for
even most samurai to be carrying around.
Crabs and Lions (the military) are the general
exception to this rule.
-Optional: If a character using an explosive rolls
three or more natural ones when attacking, he may
be caught in his own explosion. Each of these
natural ones may be cancelled by a natural ten.
BAKEMONO JUICE
Simple glass bottles full of fuel, with a lit rag for a
wick. Light and throw.
Damage: Against character 5k5 fire +2k2 fire
per round for 1k1 rounds
Against items: 3k1 fire +1k1 fire per round for
1k1 rounds
Radius: 5’
Effective Throwing Range: 30’
TN: 5
Cost: 1 bu (dangerous to carry)
Special: Possibility of combustibles or
clothing catching ablaze
DYNAMITE
Sticks of explosive trinitrotoluene, detonated by a
blasting cap.
Damage: 2k2, +1k1 per each stick
Radius: 10’, plus 5’ per stick.
Effective Throwing Range: 60 feet
TN: 10 + 2 per stick.
Cost: 4 bu (1bu if made yourself using the
Chemistry Skill)
GRENADE
Simple thrown hand grenade.
Damage: 4k2
Radius: 20’
Effective Throwing Range: 150’
TN: 2
Cost: 8 bu
43
LANDMINE
A vicious trap you hide in the ground. Explode
when someone walk on it.
Damage: 5k3
Radius: 10’
Effective Throwing Range: Inapplicable
TN: 2
Cost: 8 bu
NAPALM
Chemicals designed to stick to a surface, burn on
contact with air, and just keep burning, encased in
a grenade. Napalm is very expensive, in many cases
considered dishonorable, and is extremely
dangerous to just carry around. Any exposure to air
will cause it to ignite and explode. It is very illegal,
and difficult to obtain even for the military.
Damage: Against character 7k7 fire +3k3 fire
per round for 1k1 rounds
Against items: 5k2 fire +1k1 fire per round for
2k2 rounds
Radius: 10’
Effective Throwing Range: 150’
TN: 25 (35 against character)
Cost: 2 kokus (Craft Chemistry skill does not
reduce this cost)
Special: Possibility of combustibles or clothing
catching ablaze.
PLASTIQUE
Liable explosives designed for destroying
obstructions and safecracking cannot be detonated
without an electrical charge. Must be set with a
timer, or detonated by remote.
Damage: 3k3 per ounce + 1k1 per additional
ounce
Radius: 5’
Effective Throwing Range: Inapplicable
TN: 10
Cost: 10 kokus per ounce, 8 kokus if made with
the Craft (Chemistry) skill.
SMOKE GRENADES/ TEAR GAS
Simple can of smoke producing or blinding,
noxious gas chemicals.
Damage: 0
Radius: 20’
Effective Throwing Range: 150’
TN: Inapplicable, as it does no damage. See
rules for resisting the affects.
Cost: 5 bu, 3 bu if made with the Craft
(Chemistry) skill. (dangerous to carry)
Special: In radius, all rolls made with a -3
penalty. Every round the targets must make a
stamina roll vs TN=30 or be Down, may do
nothing but try to resist again each round, or
crawl away). The smoke lasts about 2k2 rounds,
or less (1k1) in windy environments, and up to
5k5 in contained areas with no ventilation.

The Beaver Clan began experimenting heavily
with the combination of magic and technology.
The Biba Shugenja school followed their lead, and
soon became the pioneers in the field now known
as "Tetsukami Technology." In this process, a
minor elemental spirit is temporarily encouraged to
inhabit an item, enhancing its capabilities. The
following are a few of the more common Tetsukami
items...
ONI STOMPER RIFLE
Fires beams of intense jade light, similar in many
respects to lasers. The beam does no damage to
normal opponents, but creatures with the
Shadowlands Taint take 6k4 damage. Can fire four
blasts per hour, then requires one hour of
recharging in direct sunlight.
Cost: 70 kokus
SPIRIT MODEM
A small device that plugs easily into most
computers. Allows the user to communicate
directly with any dominant spirits in the immediate
area, including kami, ancestors, and gaki. (It has
similar function to the commune spell.) The spirit
is not required in any way to answer, and may be
hostile, so these devices are used carefully, if at all.
Cost: 30 kokus
OTAKU NAGINATA
The weapon of choice of the Emerald Star Empire's
Battle Maidens. These weapons can contract from
their normal length to a mere two feet, and have a
built-in weapon system equal in power to the rifle
above. These functions are both merely
mechanical. The kami inhabiting the naginata is a
guardian spirit, attuned to the weapon's true owner.
If anyone else attempts to use the naginata, it will
not function, and will in fact fold up into a useless
two-foot long stick.
Cost: Free to Battle Maidens. Never given
to anyone else.
DRAGON SPHERE (PAIR)
Allows the wielder of one to communicate verbally
with the wielder of the other, no matter the
distance. Both parties must be holding their stone
and will the connection simultaneously, or the
crystals do not function.
Cost: 30 kokus, very rare.

MINI-GYRO
A simple 30 lb. harness that fold out into a small
personal helicopter. The device carries up to
200lbs, flies at altitudes up to 600 feet, and moves
at about 15 miles per hour without any fuel or
electricity. The mini-gyros are very trendy
currently, but are never used by the police or
military. The kami that drive them tend to be
stubborn, mischievous, and unpredictable,
requiring constant maintenance.
Cost: 30 kokus

SHOSURO GOGGLE
Thick, heavy lensed goggles that allows the user to
see through the enhanced senses of the kami.
These goggles can detect heat sources, electricity
sources, and can make out shapes even in total
darkness (making them superior to their mundane
counterparts). The presence of a powerful source of
magic, such as an ancestral sword or a powerful oni,
tends to frighten the goggle spirits and cause the
goggles to malfunction.
Cost: 70 kokus

44
BLADE OF THE PALE EYE
This weapon is a 3k3 blade forged of dark pearl.
The knife can strike any creature of the
Shadowlands, no matter what invulnerabilities
they may have, ignoring monster armor. Any
creature killed by the knife is *permanently* dead.
They may not be reanimated or return to life as
undead, or by any other power of the Shadowlands.
Oni are permanently destroyed, unless they are the
spawn of a greater oni, in which case their master is
caused tremendous pain and can create no further
spawn for a year.

BLADE OF THE BRIGHT EYE

This weapon is a 3k3 blade forged of white pearl.
The knife can unerringly strike any naga, ignoring
any armor or magical defenses the naga may be
using. If a naga is slain by the blade of the Bright
Eye, its soul and memories disappear from the
Akasha forever.

THE ANVIL OF EARTH

In 1160 the Oracles of Light decided to retreat
from the Mortal Realm for a time, to watch the
people of Rokugan from the Celestial Heavens.
Before they left each Oracle gifted an enchanted
item that bore the power of an Elemental Dragon.

The Anvil was found by a Monkey Toku Tomoe,

the younger sister of the Hare Clan Champion
Usagi Ozaki. Tomoe was visiting her Hare relatives
shortly after the Rain of Blood to aid them in
recovering when she came upon the Anvil. The
bloodspeakers attacked Shiro Usagi, and during the
heaviest of the fighting she discovered the Anvil,
sensing great power from within. The kami
surrounding the Anvil told her how to use it, and
she realized that if she used it to its full power the
existence of the Anvil would become known to all.
She therefore used it sparingly, only making sure
the Hare were never overrun, and in the end the
Hare won the battle against a vastly superior
bloodspeaker army. Tomoe returned with the
Anvil to Toku lands where it could be safely
studied.

To activate the Anvil sprinkled earth on it. When

activated the user can focus on any natural
landmark within line of sight, like a mountain or
plain, and strokes the anvil, shaping the landscape
to their will. Major change like flattening an entire
mountain takes prolonged use of the Anvil.

45
 The galaxy of the Emerald Empire
evolved. Scientists and scholars have designed a
scale to rate to technological level of new
civilizations. When the Kamis fall on Rokugan
centuries ago, the future Empire had already
achieved the 1st Tech level. The Kamis gave then
inspiration and knowledge to their followers but
Stone Age Fire, Primitive Tools the xenophobic attitude of the Empire and their
0
(before 3500 BC) absolute faith in magic make it will remain
Bronze and Iron Wheel, Writing, between 2nd and 3rd Tech level roughly during a
1 millenary. After 1300 of the Isawa calendar, the
Age (3500 BC) Geometry, Paper
tech levels were easier to jump, reaching a level 6
Medieval Age Gun Powder, roughly in the 2000’s and finalizing to an early 8th
2
(600 AD) Cannon tech level in 3122.
Age of Sail Printing, Steam
3 In the 32th century, the Hanajin have
(1450 AD) Machine
already reached the 9th level in some fields but are
Industrial Concrete, not easy to convince to share their technology.
4 Revolution Submarine, Explosion At the opposite, monsters of Jikogu are
(1730 AD) Engine, Car still considered to have a 0 Tech Level.
Batteries, Fire gun, The Ryunin were at late 1st level when
Explosives, X-Rays, they made their contact with the Lion Clan but
Mechanized Age easily adapt themselves even to the 7th level
5 Tanks, Laser,
(1880 AD) concepts of the Emerald Empire technology.
Television, Reaction
Motors, Robots The Tech level of the Scarabs is unknown
but as they depend and rely on technologies, they
Atomic Bomb, incorporate into their collective they are roughly
Fission reactors, considered between the 7th and 8th Level.
Nuclear Age
6 Missiles, Scanner, The Neo Versailles planet inhabited by
(1940 AD)
Chip cards, Ion the Merenae and Thrane has reached the 4th level
Drives but is maintained at this level by imperial decree.
Microcomputers,
Digital Age
7 Virtual intelligence,
(1990 AD)
Computer network
Fusion reactors, Laser
Early Stellar
8 weaponry,
(2050 AD)
Nanotechnology
Stellar Era Energy fields, Anti-
9
(2120 AD) gravity
Late Stellar Era Teleporter, Matter-
10
(2250 AD) antimatter energy
Pure energy
Far Future (after
11 conversion, Neural
2500 AD)
computers

46

The Empire of the Emerald Stars contains more
than fifty-two ritually sanctified systems, with
dozens of planets and moons colonized by the
citizens of Rokugan. Some of these worlds have
been left in their natural state, while others have
been heavily terraformed.
AIKUNE SYSTEM
Clan(s): Phoenix
A relatively young system by their estimation. Its
solid planets are all in their infancy, most of them
still being shaped by the raw Elements, and the
Phoenix – led by the Agasha – have started
experimenting with large scale re-engineering on
these worlds, hoping to create conditions similar to
Rokugan on some of them and to enhance
production of rare elements on others.
ALAINE TWO
Clan(s): Owl
The capital of the Owl Clan is a unique place
devoted to Hantei kami and where you can find
the most density and diversity of alien species in a
single space in the whole Empire.
AMATERASU’S WISDOM
Clan(s): Mantis
This moon is the siege of the Centipede University
of Astrophysics ruled by the Moshi.
BARRIER REEF
Clan(s): Crane, Phoenix
Barrier Reef is a frontier ocean world, with deep
oceans and small landmasses full of jungles and
dangerous creatures. Discovered and settled only
recently, it's mostly influenced by Chikushudo and
Maigo no Musha. It has some large and dangerous
xenofauna. The amphibious Mizunin race lived
here a long time ago, and their ruins are of great
interest to the Empire. The Emperor eventually
granted settlement (and research) rights to the
Crane, who share the system it's in with the
Phoenix. The Mantis are blockading the world in
an attempt to strong-arm the Crane into letting
47
them in, a political matter which has not been
resolved in the courts yet.
BURNING STAR
Clan(s): Unicorn
Has the dubious honor of housing several of the
relocated gaijin nations, which the Unicorn
protects from more unfriendly clans.
CRADLE OF TEN THOUSAND GODS
Clan(s): None
Not a part of the Empire of Emerald Stars, it’s the
new home of the Senpet Empire, under
protectorate of the Unicorn Clan.
DRAGON’S EYE
Clan(s): Dragon
A small planet orbiting a dual star system close to
the mysterious “eastern” nebula. The planet is
closed to other clans, but rumors abound of the
Dragon working on secret new technologies to
explore the nebula, as well as of the strange worlds
orbiting the two stars. To deal with other clans the
Dragon have built Kitsuki’s Hand, an orbital
station in an otherwise uninteresting system that is
easily accessible to most of the clans.
FALCON’S NEST
Clan(s): Crab
A tempered small planet within Crab Space,
headquarter of the Toritaka family. Falcon nest has
many mountain ranges and his gravity is slightly
lower than the “normal” standard, giving a feeling
of lightness to anything.
FEATHERS OF THE SPACE
Clan(s): Cat, Swan, Scorpion
It’s a temperate small moon within Scorpion’s
territory. Located near a dim star, the daylight
always seems to be as dark as the twilight even in
the middle of the day. Many people pretend it’s the
lair of the deepest and strongest mysteries of the
Empire.
FIRST LANDING
Clan(s): Unicorn
Discovered in 2797 and the destination of
Rokugan’s first interstellar expedition, First
Landing is a jungle-covered planet. Full of exotic
animals and plants, the Unicorn as carefully
studied, bred, and harvested them all.
FORTUNES’ BLESSING
Clan(s): Crane
Much more open to all visitors, and the military
presence more relaxed; it is a meeting place where
pilots relax in between missions and diplomats
from various clans negotiate with each other.
FRIENDLY MOON
Clan(s): Crab
It’s a terrestrial (Rokugan-like) moon orbiting the
Gaz Giant Six Petals with five other moons in the
Path of Hope System. It’s under Chikushudo
influence.
GALE
Clan(s): Badger
This dwarf planet rich of metals is on the outer
edge of the Hiruma Prime system is center of
Badger activity in the Empire
48
GOLDEN MIRROR
Clan(s): Crane
The jewel in the Crane’s crown. This planet is an
almost perfectly idyllic version of Rokugan, devoid
of large predators, storms, or other dangers.
From large festive seaside resorts to bustling cities
and ‘traditional’ villages to explore, the entire
planet is a giant attraction and fuels the clan’s
coffers with billions of koku. It is the center of the
Empire’s often-strange mix of modern and ancient
culture, where galaxy-wide broadcasts can gain a
young pop star or a talented iaijutsu duelist equal
fame and wealth.
HAPPY FROG (moon of the)
Clan(s): Frog
The Tadpole Eggs Complex, headquarter of the
Frog clan is located on the unwelcoming and very
hot moon of the Happy Frog. The temperature is
explained by the very slow rotation of the planet:
A standard “day” here longs as long as five days on
Rokugan Prime.
HELLFALL
Clan(s): Spider
A nightmare of influences from Jigoku, Toshigoku,
and Gaki-do, where every day is a fight for survival.
The planet has vast reserves of obsidian and
Tainted metals which the Spider use in their ships.
Mining draws the attention of many predators, so
the Spider also use Hellfall as a training ground for
their warriors.
HIDA PRIME
Clan(s): Crab
The core Crab system, unimaginatively named
Hida Prime, holds several moons and planets of
great mineral value, which have been ships and
weapons.
HIDA SECUNDUS
Clan(s): Formerly Crab.
Virtually identical to Hida prime if smaller in size,
and Hiruma prime, which held the busiest and
richest Crab spaceport in the northern section of
the galaxy. Now under Scarab aliens dominion.
HIVE
MEDINAAT AL-SALAAM
Clan(s): None
Every inch of the planet has been built upon, and
as a result, much as in the old Burning Sands,
natural resources are precious. Water flows beneath
the soil, to be sure, but it has been forced
underground or into the extremely vast network of
piping maintained by the Merchant Houses of
Dahab. The Dahabi houses remain the driving
economic force of the Sands and in many ways
serve as most of the government of Medinaat al-
Salaam. The Caliphate exists almost entirely to
enforce the law (though they also can elevate new
Merchant Houses and assign purviews), while the
Sultanate essentially only runs the judicial system,
with the Merchant Houses taking care of the actual
infrastructure.

MEIDO’S FIELDS
Clan(s): Spider
A vast, hollowed-out asteroid world set in orbit Clan(s): Spider
A system with large asteroid belts is the home of
around a luminous gas giant. Hive is still
the infamous Undead Legion, a fleet which need
unsanctified and the siege of many maho
experimentations. not worry about pressurization, oxygen supply,
heat, or any other such mundane concerns.
INFERNO
Clan(s): Crab MEKHEM’S CLOAK
Clan: Scarab
Kyuden Hida Prime, a gigantic orbital stronghold
Still unsanctified and remote world near Dragon
located above the largest solid planet, is the center
of Crab activities in the galaxy, and quite possibly border, Mekhem’s Cloak is rarely visited by
outsiders and lacks even of the most basic
impregnable. It orbits a planet known as Inferno, a
accommodations. To live there outside the
place of extremely high temperatures and toxic
atmosphere, populated by a variety of creatures conditioned buildings, you’ve to wear a breath
mask because of the higher density of ammoniac in
which draw their influence from Gaki-do,
his atmosphere.
Toshigoku, and more the already massive radiant
cannons of Kyuden Hida Prime into orbital jade
MOTH’S COCOON
strikes able to annihilate all traces of corrupted life
Clan(s): Moth
in a radius measured in miles. The fact that the
creatures still keep fighting back is a testament to A remote, dark, unsanctified and lonely planet
near a black hole, the Moth’s cocoon is very
the danger they represent, but the surrounding
unwelcoming to any visitor. The night is nearly
moons are so rich with rare minerals that the Crab
would never give up the place. omnipresent here as it’s located far from a sun.

NAMELESS PLANET (SUZUMU’S HOLDING)

JIKOJU'S BREATH
Clan(s): Crane, Sparrow Clan(s): Spider
A world that does not revolve around himself, thus
The sparrow is headquartering here, within a space
plunging the dark side into permanent cold and
station orbiting this gas giant.
night.
KOHAKU'S HEAVEN
Clan(s): Albatross
This small moon is a territory covered with calm
oceans calm and serene atmosphere that perfectly
matches the temperament of the albatross clan.

LOST TENGOKU
Clan(s): Shark
A remote and still unsanctified world. Lost
Tangoku has all of a paradise, despite the unaligned
samurais that populates it.

49
NEO VERSAILLES OCEAN OF SAPPHIRE

Clan(s): None
After centuries of cold war, Thrane and Merenae
peoples finally accepted to be relocated together to
this temperate world rather than be obliterated.
Covered with oceans it was originally the source of
a dispute between the Mantis and the Dragon
clans. It’s now officially an Imperial world under
Unicorn Protectorate largely ignored by all other
clans. An imperial edict forbids all technological
and weaponry trade with this world.
NEST
Clan(s): Seahorse, Crab
A Small pelagic moon within Crab Space, Ocean
of Sapphire is aggregable to live but lacks of land
where establish large cities. Some imperial
communities even live there within domes under
the sea.
OCTAVION
Clan(s): Yodotai
The new home planet for the relocated Yodotai

ONNOTANGU’S HEART

Clan(s): Mantis
A planet of deep jungles and exotic animals, most
notably: the Doreiku or “lesser dragon”.
Clan(s): Mantis
NEW KALANI A harsh moon-prison run by the Mantis where rain
Clan(s): Mantis is almost constant.
Ninety percent covered by water; this world is a
sailor’s dream. Dangerous for its storms and its OSANO-WO REACH
native life-forms, it is almost infinite in its Clan(s): Disputed between Mantis and Phoenix,
resources. Bear
A world of precious resources that have led the two
NEW ROKUGAN major clans to turn the area into a near-permanent
battle zone. Under the “protection” of the minor
bear clan.

RAKUDA’S BEACON

Clan(s): Lion
Nearly at the center of the Star Empire, New
Rokugan is a planet in the Shori system that has
been completely engineered to look like Rokugan Clan(s): Camel
of old, including ancient era technology and A remote desert moon near the east border of the
lifestyles. Empire.

50
RED FIELDS
Clan(s): None
A large planet dominated by a relatively advanced
but cruel alien culture, which has responded very
violently to attempts at pacification.
ROKUGAN (PRIME)
Clan(s): Imperial Families, Peacock, Tiger
The Homeworld. The Imperial Throne. The Land
of Our Ancestors. Rokugan is known by many
names across the length and breadth of the Empire,
and the majority of samurai make a point of
visiting at least once during their lives if at all
possible. Every last Great Clan maintains holdings
here, and it would be unusual indeed for the
Emperor to permit any of them to be lost to any
kind of conflict. The original and capital world of
the Emerald Star Empire is now free of gaijin
presence.
RYUNIN
Clan(s): Lion
The first with an indigenous race encountered by
the expanding Empire in 2812. The Lion Clan was
called upon in exterminate the incredibly
aggressive ryunins, which the planet is named after.
SHINJO'S SHELL
Clan(s): Unicorn
Located in the Dreaming Shore, somewhere on the
edge of the Empire, Shinjo’Shell is a Unicorn-
controlled system and the Kyuden-class orbital
station they maintain there. It serves as the Shore's
primary waystation, where traveling samurai can
rest, mingle with the locals, and purchase exotic
goods imported from Unicorn space.
51
SHORI SYSTEM
Clan(s): Lion
A system with many habitable worlds. One of the
has been converted into a gigantic military camp,
with vast facilities for the training of new recruits,
large-scale practice exercises, weapons production,
and – in orbit- ship manufacture and repair.
SUITENGU'S GRASP
Clan(s): Unicorn, Ibis
Ko-no-hama's Bloom is the Ibis headquarter, an
ocean city (with a station in geostationary orbit
above it) located on this Unicorn world with a
spectacular view of a nearby nebula.
TOGASHI’S REST
Clan(s): Dragon
A traditional castle and monastery located on a
remote planet with deadly snows and extreme
weather conditions. The stronghold is located atop
the tallest mountain peak discovered so far in the
galaxy, and requires extensive life support systems
and protections to allow human life. It is a place of
pilgrimage for tattooed monks, for it is said the
planet has received a touch of Tengoku’s influence.
TOKETSU
Clan(s): Dragon
A frozen planet discovered in 2817 where a crust of
ice hides colossal oceans beneath. While originally
discovered by the Mantis, it was given by the
Emperor into the safekeeping of the Dragon with
no explanation.
TADAKA SYSTEM
Clan(s): Phoenix
The Phoenix has built numerous orbital stations to
monitor the various planets located there.
UJIMITSU
Clan(s): Phoenix
Near the Crane frontier, Ujimitsu is renowned for
its many beautiful natural and magical phenomena,
such as mountain ranges made entirely of jade or
crystal, and geysers of water reaching seemingly
impossible heights.
The Phoenix have harvested much of the planet’s
energy while carefully preserving its balance and
harmony
WORLD OF DREAMS
Clan(s): Scorpion, All

The most highly populated planet in the entire

empire, with a city that covers most of the planet’s
surface. With skyscrapers almost literally higher
than the sky, and urban zones spanning the length
of entire continents, the planet houses billions of
people from all the Great Clans (and even a few
from other cultures and races) but remains at least
nominally under the control of the Scorpion. Low
taxes and lax security have attracted investment
from around the galaxy, and many consider the
World of Dreams to be the true capital of the
Empire, although more traditional citizens frown at
such claims. The vast city has a culture of its own,
and one would need several lifetimes to fully
explore it, with many new buildings appearing
almost daily. The World of Dreams draws so much
attention that little else is known about the
Scorpion Clan and its settlements, which is
probably part of their intent. Orbits the gigantic
red star named Bayushi’s Eye.

XING GUO'S ANVIL

Clan(s): Imperial Families, Oriole
A gas giant with many metal rich moons held by
the Oriole minor clan in a Seppun system.

YAMA-NO-KAMI'S REMEMBRANCE

Clans(s): Mantis
Yama-no-Kami is habitable, but there's little there
besides mineral resources. Many scholars think it is
due to direct Meido's influence. The only real town
is the colony of Nibui Mura.

YORITOMO’S CUP
Clan(s): Mantis
Noteworthy for two reasons: pirates… and alcohol.

52

Shortly after the Destroyer War ends Empress
Iweko was put in the position of having the
empire accept the Spider clan and in
exploring the former Ivory Kingdoms. Just as
important though is reconciling the traditions
of old with forging a new path in an uncertain
future.
To show her respect for the past,
Iweko instructed her imperial historians to
find any living members among the Imperial
families who may have had Hantei blood. The
goal was to instore a feeling of unity among
the Empire. It takes more than ten months but
they found a few individuals to pool together
to take on the Hantei family name. Iweko
doesn't stop there however, choosing to honor
the Toturi line: Toturi Shigekawa becomes
daimyo of the fledgling Owl clan’s second
family as the Toturi daimyo. Moving forward
the Hantei and Toturi families adopted a
number of ronin shugenjas. Some of them
pretended to be the keepers of the ancestral
Snake Clan technique. The Empress granted
her blessing for them to combine into a single
family and to honor one of the most powerful
shugenja's known to the Rokugan. They take
on the Yoshun family name and the clan
began his existence as a minor clan for many
centuries.
Later after a catastrophic encounter
with a very dangerous entity, the Grasshoper
Clan was nearly destroyed and was absorbed as
the Inago Family. They were some of the
major players in the first contact and the later
peace treaty with the Hanajins.
It’s only recently that the clan was
granted a major status. After having
demonstrated many centuries of utility, the
clan was able to prevent a secret invasion by
53
some strange aliens. Many pretend that the
owl clan established peace before the aliens
enable war. The reality is only known by the
clan himself and the Imperial Throne.
The Owl Clan has the smallest territory of all the
Major Clans and only claims a single planet and his
direct neighbors’ systems as his own: Alaine Two.
It’s easier to defend but also lacks of many
resources. Thus, many of the revenues of the Owl
come from the exchange, adaptation and
exploitation of alien technology, development of
their techniques and cultures to accommodate with
those of the Empire. The Tortoise clan doesn’t like
this very much and even if it as only little power to
interact with, the Owl Clan always respects their
decisions.
The population of the Owl Clan is dense and
fanatic as its only real territory his on a lone
planet. Many people and the imperial throne
suggest that the clan should shortly try to
absorb others minors clans to increase their
population and territories. Until now only the
Seahorse clan seems to be interested but
negotiations given no many results.
The Owl clan welcomes more aliens than all
the other clans. Even if it’s populating his
ranks it doesn’t help to establish continuity.
They’re no more tolerant than other clans
about non-humans but tend to have a deeper
knowledge of them. This causes many ethics
debates on if it’s possible to found a true
family with other species as members. This
idea still repulses most of the imperial
population even in this era. All of the Owl
Clan members are very proud of their
prestigious lineage and nobody would ever risk
being rejected as an outcast by merging his
blood with an alien one.
They sometimes adopted and more certainly
adapted some alien concepts when it deserved
the purpose of the clan. These habits gave
them some strange reputation or even
barbarian one among the others clans much
like has the Unicorn clan centuries ago. But
bearing such names as Hantei or Toturi has
advantages: rare are the people that obviously
attack the clan on this subject.
The cult of the First kami has steadily grown
over the centuries after the creation of the owl
clan until it has arguably become one of the
most powerful religious forces within the
domains of the Empire of Emerald Stars. As of
today, the cult of Hantei has become an
essential part in the Brotherhood of Shinsei.
Due to their fanatical devotion to their
Imperial kami, the Cult of Hantei demands
that its followers fight all forms of evil in the
empire with the strength of their arms as well
as their faith, with many of its monks
accompanying the Empire's armies when they
march off to war, following and honoring that
creed. This sense of righteousness, self-
determination, and holy attention from a
caring but demanding kami has ensured that
the citizenry of the Empire is a people of
strong faith, will, and unconquerable spirit.
Hantei is the symbol that unites the whole
Empire across all the territories its own:
Hantei is the Empire, and the Empire is
Hantei as it was its first ruler. With his
ascension to Tengoku, he became a legendary
forbear worshiped by the folk of the Empire as
a rightful kami whose covenant with his
people is to defend them as long as the
principles upon which his Empire was founded
upon continue to stand.
THE HANTEI FAMILY: +1 VOID
Carrying on the Hantei name they serve as a
reminder of Rokugans glorious past and traditions.
They are the longest family to detain the imperial
throne centuries ago, and they have still imperial
blood in their veins. They take on the
responsibilities of leading family provide most of
the fanatical bushis of the Cult of Hantei.
THE INAGO FAMILY: +1 AGILITY
The Inago Family was once the Grasshopper clan
and is still specializing to monitor Sakkaku activity
and first contact to alien Sakkaku linked
civilizations.
THE TOTURI FAMILY: +1 WILLPOWER
The Toturi sought to find a purpose by taking the
control of Alaine Two. They are the guardians of
the Owl Clan and act mainly as courtiers.
THE YOSHUN FAMILY +1 AGILITY
They receive a new family name to distinct them
member from the ancestral Chuda family of the
Spider Clan. They’re often at conflict with this
major clan who sees them as traitors. The Yoshun
family is mostly composed of shugenjas that study
54
alien magic and techniques encountered to find a
way to counter them. They also found back the
ancestral technique of the Snake Clan to fight
against the Tainted creatures.
Imperial History II introduces the Owl clan as the
clan of Hantei in the Togashi Dynasty chapter.
Their charter in is to handle non-human threats to
the empire that aren't shadowlands related.
So, oni and taint were the Crab job, the Owl
handled Naga relations and taming Nezumi.
Togashi's empire was filled with more magical
critters and thus there is a stronger need for a clan
that specifically deals with otherworldly beings.
So, translating them to a normal “classical era”
game can be somewhat challenging if you want to
keep the essence of what is presented for the Owl.
In the future era of Empire of Emerald Stars there is
no problem while finding a purpose for them...
Mechanically speaking you can make
use of the Hantei bushi school as the main
bushi family. However, the advanced school,
Tsudao's Legion would fit in very well as a
school for the Hantei family.
The Yoshun family would make use
of the Seppun shugenja school from Imperial
Histories II and if you permit it of the original
Chuda shugenja school from the Core
rulebook.
Meanwhile the Otomo Diplomat
School from Imperial Histories II would
become the Toturi Diplomat School, similar
in structure to say the Bayushi family does
business.
The Inago family still continues to
ensign the techniques of the Inago Bushi
School from the Court of the Minor Clans
fanbook.
The non-human bent of the Owl
clans’ mechanics makes them ideal for helping
to lead the development of the colonies as the
clans face down a number of non-human
enemies.

Finding its place in the modern era has not always
been easy for all. Many minor clans often
disappeared for lack of resources. With the
departure to the stars and the evacuation of
Rokugan Prime, the Badger Clan suddenly found
itself without any real utility since it had become
useless to keep the northern border of the incursion
of the Yobanjin. All he had to do was to keep the
tomb of the tenth kami: Ryoshun. The Boar Clan,
restored in 1199, was also orphaned of land to
exploit but wished to find new territories in space.
The Bat Clan found itself increasingly deprived of
usefulness because the development of technology
that allowed the greatest number to communicate
over long distances without resorting to magic ...
The beginning of modernity seemed to sound the
death knell of these clans. Deprived of utility they
risked disappearing.
The Badger was originally a Minor Clans and one
of the first eager to go to space. Many Badger
joined the Imperial Exploration Corps, and the
Crab brought them to share some of their systems
after the Emperor's declaration.
They survived thanks to the Minor Clan Alliance
but it was really only in the worst of the
misfortunes that they tied for good. From 2932 to
2966 Alliance War raged and carried away millions
of lives in atomic wars. The Boar Clan and Badger
Clans were able to play their part by negotiating
the radioactive materials used to make the nuclear
weapons. Soon, their safe boxes were filled but
their population declined.
The Bat Clan managed to survive but lacked funds
to create the first computer communication
network that soon became the Yumeji News
Network. The financial windfall of the Boar Clan
and the Badger Clans provided for this. The
jurisdiction and development of this computer tool
55
gave these minor clans a new legitimacy. They used
this media tool to spread peace messages across the
network throughout the conflict. The small Eel
Clan put his heart to create computer storage tools
and naturally made its servers available to the
Yumeji News Network. Alliances War sees the
beginning of new collaborations.
In 2967 Empress Iweko CXI recognized the
importance of the media within the empire and
wanted to reward its creators. She therefore
decided to assemble the minor clans into a major
one. Neither the Bat Clan nor the Eel Clan wished
in their modesty to lead the clan. Then Iweko CXI,
proposed to the Badger Clan to take the head of
the new major clan in reward of centuries of work
and this one accepted. She also proposed a new
family name to lead them: Ryoshun in the
veneration of the tenth Kami. So, the new Major
Clan of the Badger was born.
The original Badger's capital is still in the
mountains where they came from, but the center of
Badger activity in the Empire is the dwarf planet
Gale on the outer edge of the Hiruma Prime
system. The clan also secured at least one outpost
at the limit of the territory of each other Great
Clan to maintain the YNN.
As the Badger has also the responsibility to guard
the northern frontier of the Star Empire -a large
asteroid field- they established there The Golden
Compass, a large space station that orbits a red sun
called the Boar’s Eye.
The Komori family conserved her ancestral home
on the Island of Lost Wilderness, but run most of
her operations from of the World of Dreams. Most
of their revenues come from mining operations.
The Badger clan’s population is scattered on his
multiple territories but manage to survive well even
is the harshest conditions. As the youngest major
clan, his population is still smaller than the others
but comparable to those of the Spider Clan.
The first preoccupation of the clan when it raised
to major status was to increase its population and it
did it in some original way: the clan invited the
Brotherhood of Shinshei to settle their territories.
It didn’t give them many marriages but at least the
lands were occupied and populated. In return, the
Brotherhood was happy to create some new shrines
to worship Ryoshun.

When the Badger became a Major clan, it
originally lacked of shugenjas. The small Anago
family had some of them but a strong tradition
within the Heichi and Ichiro family denied them to
have more. The Brotherhood of Shinshei not only
improved their population but also gave them some
access to magic. Some of them filed the rank of the
Ryoshun family and established many connections
with the spirit realms. As the Badger helped to
guard monasteries and provided raw materials for
their constructions, the two groups have become
pretty close over the years and the cult of Ryoshun
developed.
When it became a major clan, the customs of the
new Badger clan were as dense as the Mantis Clan
when he rose to the same status. Most of the
families kept their original traditions. Ceremonies
and gemppukus were then as varied as the number
of the families. But with time and marriages
between family’s differences faded away and the
composing families only kept strong identities
within their tiny ancestral territories. The Heichi
and Ryoshun families were the easiest to adapt as
the youngest of the clan but were very enthusiast to
rediscover the ancestral lost traditions of the
original boar clan.
The Badger clan is one of the most technological,
mechanized and industrialized major clan, still less
advanced than the Phoenix clan but sometimes
more relying on machines than the Crab Clan.
THE ANAGO FAMILY: +1 PERCEPTION
The Anago family was once known as the Eel
Clan. They maintain the largest data storage
facilities and search engine within the Empire.
They’re also expert programmers and to classify and
retrieve rapidly any information from their
tremendous data servers. They serve the clan
mostly as courtiers, more rarely as shugenjas.
THE HEICHI FAMILY: + 1 AWARENESS
The once renewed boar clan is now the Heichi
family and maintains the mining operation of the
clan. They specialize in mining prospection and
exploration of mountain, harsh, remote, polar or
icy frost worlds and asteroids fields. They form
bushis for the clan with their retrieved ancestral
techniques.
THE ICHIRO FAMILY: +1 STRENGTH
The original family of the badger has the strongest
traditions among the clan. Their legendary
resilience served well to accommodate to
modernity. They provide bushis to the clan.
56
THE KOMORI FAMILY: +1 INTELLIGENCE
The original tiny bat clan became the Komori
family of the Badger Clan and manages many forms
of communication across the Empire. They also run
the Yumeji News Network (found on the World of
Dreams). As the samurai version of the people who
work in the IT basement of a major corporation,
they have allies both in the Scorpion (who watch
YNN a lot, for some reason) and the Crab (who
still make heavy use of their communication magic
to deceive their opponents). They’re always happy
to discover, develop and decrypt new form of
communications and form appreciated courtiers.
THE RYOSHUN FAMILY: +1 VOID
The young and calm Ryoshun family runs the daily
operations of the clan and tries to accommodate it
to the status of a Major Clan. They soft temper
makes they mainly act as courtiers for the clan.
KOMORI PROTOCOL OFFICER
Since the development of modern communication
systems, the ancestral technique of The Kami’s
Whispers has often become obsolete. But the
Komori have had time enough to specialize
themselves to decipher and learn many foreign
languages and communication concepts. All clans
are very happy when it can have the service of a
Komori protocol officer to conduce negotiations.
Rank: 1
Replaces: Komori Shugenja 1
Benefit: +1 Perception
Skills: Calligraphy (Cipher), Etiquette
Lore: Theology, Meditation, Spellcraft,
Tea Ceremony, any one High Skill
Honor: 4.5
Outfit: Robes, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon,
Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 3 koku
Affinity/Deficiency: Air / Earth
Requirements: None
Technique: The Kami’s Wisdom – You
have the kami’s help who translate for you
uncommon languages. You’ve a +2k1
bonus in Calligraphy (Cipher). After
spending a month speaking with a person
who practice a foreign language you can
buy the Language advantage for this for a
point less than the normal cost.
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 Air,
2 Water, and 1 Fire
RYOSHUN COURTIER SCHOOL
Benefit: +1 Awareness
Skills: Calligraphy, Courtier, Etiquette
(Courtesy), Lore: Spirit Realms (Choose
One), Meditation, Sincerity, any one
High Skill
Honor: 4.5
Outfit: Sensible Clothing, Wakizashi,
Calligraphy Set, Traveling Pack, 5 koku

TECHNIQUES

RANK 1: TOUCHED BY THE SPIRITS

You gain one of the Touch of the Spirit Realms
Advantage for no cost in Experience Points (if you
already have that Touch of the Spirit Realms
Advantage, you are refunded that many Experience
Points). You gain a bonus to all Courtier and
Etiquette Social Skill rolls equal to the number of
Emphases you have in the Lore: Spirit Realms
Skill.

RANK 2: SPREADING THE SPIRITS WILL

A number of times equal your School Rank per
day, you may spend a Void Point to grant one of
your allies within 30 feet, one of the Touch of the
Spirit Realms Advantages for a number of hours
equal to your School Rank. If your ally already has
this Advantage, your Technique fails.

RANK 3: DEEPER INTO KNOWLEDGE

You gain a bonus of 2k1 to all your Social Skills.
You receive one additional Touched by the Spirit
Realms Advantage.

RANK 4: CURSED BY THE REALMS

A number of times per session equal to your School
Rank, you may speak with someone for a few
minutes and then make a Contested Roll of your
Courtier (Manipulation) / Willpower against their
Etiquette (Courtesy) / Awareness. If you succeed,
they acquire one of the Cursed by the Spirit
Realms Disadvantages (your choice) for a number
of hours equal to your School Rank. (You cannot
use this technique on the same person twice in the
same day.)

RANK 5: ONE WITH THE SPIRITS

All bonuses, penalties, TNs, etc bonus or penalties
that the Touched of the Spirit Realms or Cursed by
the Spirit Realms confer are now doubled for you
and people you affect with your techniques. You
gain two additional Spirit Realms Advantages.

57

“In space, no one can hear you scream.”
The Anglerfish Clan is a faction of the Spider clan
who openly separated from the rest of the clan and
lent allegiance to Iweko Ist. At first, they had no
other status than a pariah one and no other one
was actually granted if it is the ability to work for
the glory of the Empire in the colonies as they
remained loyal and destitute of all traces of Taint
of the Shadowlands. This aroused some bitterness
but they accepted this position gracefully as the
distrust of the other clans was great. The
monitoring of the Dragon Clan never faltered and
any sign of corruption was systematically
eliminated. With time things came to settle and
confidence was established.
The real stroke of genius was fulfilled
when the Anglerfish clan was created. The Dragon
Clan had found a strong interest in the exploration
of the nebula of the east border and needed as
many resources to operate strange worlds that he
already devoted to colonize them. The
responsibility for monitoring the Spider Clan was
then entrusted to the clan of Anglerfish.
Corruption, however, catches up with the
new clan. First, because some members of the
samurai caste were unwittingly suffering mutations.
Some think they are due to Spider clan who
surreptitiously used Shadowland Taint to transform
them. The Spider clan fiercely defended by
claiming that they were due to atomic fallouts of
the Alliances War. No one really knows the answer
but this crisis led to a large number of refugees.
These were treated as outcasts and while having no
longer a place to live within the other clans, they
refused to join the Spider. The clan of the newly
created Anglerfish was so all found to
accommodate them. Over time the Anglerfish
became the instrument of the Spider: a
58
smokescreen for its darkest activities and a kind of
ambassadors just as the Dragonfly clan work for the
Dragon clan.
The Anglerfish clan strives to remain pure
and free of any Taint but only to mask the growing
scale of the disproportionate and unreasonable
ambitions of the Spider clan. His apparent sincerity
is a lure of light designed to attract easy preys into
the deep abyss where the Spider clan hides...
Most of the revenues come from voluntary
donations and even the imperial support in
memory of their “unwavering loyalty”. They also
grow tea of Jade petals officially to guard them from
the Taint of the Spider but specially to make an
illegal black market.
In reality, the funds come obviously from
the dubious or downright illegal activities of the
Spider. Their territory is not more extensive, being
limited to a single Torid-E class station located at
the edge of Spider space. It would be easy to get
around but decorum order to respect the courtesy
and traditions.
The Anglerfish clan will always claim to be
understaffed because it suits well. In this way, it
may justify certain breaches of its jurisdiction and
still require more funds to the imperial treasury.
Some, however, go up to use racket to bring a guest
in relation with the Spider but this practice is very
subtle, pernicious and often repressed.
Although it was never a very influential
clan, it demonstrated good manners by gathering
the outcasts and the poorest even in the ranks of
the ronin, etas or the peasantry. But this is also a
deception because they know anyway that most of
them will end up in the web of the spider if they
come to talk.
Members of the Anglerfish Clan are working to
stay as pure as possible in order to hide the darkness
of their dark intentions. They are courteous and
sincere but this is mostly a facade. They act as
diplomats and smokescreen to the Spider clan that
weighs on them to show that their intentions are
good. In reality the Spider clan always exercises its
formidable Daigotsu courtiers but they can now act
more freely on condition of even more anonymity.
The Anglerfish managed to deceive the vigilance
of the clan of the Seahorse clan which she often
uses to purge their members of their surplus of
Shadowlands Taint.
ANKO FAMILY: +1 AWARENESS
Anko's family lives mostly reclusive and only show
up to bite most often to defend its interests or to
make believe that it is closely monitoring the
Spider. This is not a close family nor welded
formed because of people who were united there by
desperation and trapped. Only the most influential
members of the Anglerfish are aware of its
profound goals and enjoy a comfortable life. The
others are most often left behind except when it
comes to exercise a demonstration of good graces.
ANKO COURTIER SCHOOL
The techniques of the Anko Courtier School are
largely inspired by those of the Daigotsu Courtier
School although they fiercely defend from it. The
honor is of little value to an Anko as long as he can
afford to keep their secrets.
Benefits: +1 Perception
Skills: Acting, Courtier, Etiquette,
Meditation, Sincerity (Deceit),
Temptation, a Low Skill at choice.
Honor: 1.5
Outfit: Simple Clothes, Wakizashi,
Knife, Travelling Pack, 3 koku
59
TECHNIQUES
RANK 1: THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
You may voluntary lose a maximum of 10 Honor
Points (a complete rank) to add the same bonus to
any Contested Social roll. You may do it for a
willing ally but (s)he loses Honor at your place.
Add your School Rank to your Honor Rank
whenever another is attempting to discern your
true Honor Rank.
RANK 2: THE BRIGHT OF THE PURE DARKNESS
Once per month you may attempt a Contested Roll
of Courtier/Intelligence versus the
Courtier/Awareness of a non-player character of a
superior Status than your own. If you succeed you
immediately gain a number of Koku equal to the
difference of Status and lose the same number of
Honor.
RANK 3: BIGGER THE SMILE, SHARPER THE KNIFE
You may spend a Void Point or lose 5 Honor Points
to make your attacks with a samurai weapon or a
knife as Simple Actions rather than Complex
actions during this skirmish.
RANK 4: THE BACK OF THE MEDAL
Any rolls made to detect your lies have their TN
increased by an amount equal to 5 x your School
Rank. You gain a free Raise when you use your
Sincerity (Deceit) or any Low skill.
RANK 5: TO THE ABYSS OF THE ANGLERFISH
Every student of the Anko Courtiers is
accomplished at the art of pretending that his faults
are those of another. When you have to lose Honor
or Glory or even Status, you may spend a Void
point as a Complex Action to try to shift this loss
to someone else of lower Status than you who is
present at the moment of the accusation. You must
make a Contested Roll of your Sincerity (Deceit) /
Awareness versus the victim’s Sincerity (Honesty) /
Awareness in order to make the shifting of blame
stick.

"The Strong always survives."
The rule of Hantei XX was not good to
the Crab. The selfish and vain Emperor had
openly and cruelly showered favors upon the other
clans, especially the Crane, and placed punitive
taxes on the Crab during the Great Famine after
the Clan of Hida claimed they didn't have enough
rice to pay taxes and feed their armies. It is only
luck that there was no major Shadowlands uprising
during Hantei XX's rule, or it is likely that the
Crab would not have the strength to hold back the
tide of darkness. Hantei XX levied many insults
and humiliations upon the Crab's shoulders.
One such insult came in the form of the
Bear Clan. During Winter Court of 664 (held in
Kyuden Doji, as most of Hantei XX's Winter
Courts were), Crane Champion Doji Morito
arranged for a sumai contest to be held in 'honor' of
the Crab. In truth, the whole tournament was
arranged to insult and humiliate the Crab. The
year before, the Crab had attacked the Crane in a
desperate attempt to gain the food needed to
survive in what is now known as the Rice War,
only for the Crab army to be blocked off by the
Imperial Legions. Due to the Crab's increasingly
dire food situation, their best sumai wrestlers had
given up the sport, which required a high-calorie
diet. As such, the Crab were ill prepared for the
tournament, having brought no trained sumai to
court; the Crab had been told there would be no
sumai contests this court (a miscommunication by
an Otomo clerk with a Doji wife, strangely
enough). Still, with the pride of the clan on the
line, several Hida entered the contest, their sheer
strength and years on the Wall pitted against the
sumai of the other clans. In all amazement, the
Crab prevailed, until at last a warrior of Hida stood
for the final match. However, the Crane had
prepared one final humiliation: his opponent was
not a samurai, but a commoner named Kuma.
60
Members of the Crane had heard rumors of a
peasant who possessed strength like no other, said
to be a son of Bishamon himself. They found this
young man, named Kuma, and hatched a cruel plan
to pay the Crab back for the Rice War. The Crane
educated Kuma is the basics of court etiquette and
trained him brutally by the clan's best sumai
masters, promising him a life of ease for his family
and a Doji wife should he wins the sumai contest.
Having seen that the Great Famine was only
getting worse, Kuma readily agreed.
The Hida he faced put up a good match, but
Kuma soon proved victorious, throwing the
desperate but unskilled warrior out of the ring in an
impressive display of strength. After the
tournament, the same Hida attempted to get
revenge on Kuma by killing him outright (his
peasant status meant there would be no
reproductions for such an act), but the Seppun
stopped the attack. The Emperor had been deeply
entertained by the Crab's humiliation; to protect
the Crane's champion sumai, Hantei XX named
Kuma the Champion of a new Minor Clan, thereby
granting him samurai status. The young man chose
the Bear as his clan's symbol, and the Crab had no
choice but to accept the humiliation and leave.
Though Kuma was given a (very low-
ranking) Doji bride, his peasant birth meant he had
few samurai willing to join the Bear, and instead he
selected almost all of his early followers from the
ranks of the heimin caste. Made mostly of men of
great strength, the Bear became a clan of warriors
and wrestlers. Aside from sumai, the Bear branched
out to all areas where they could employ their great
strength, earning a reputation as brawlers, athletes,
and even reliable bodyguards.
After Hantei XX created the Bear Clan, he didn't
give much thought to the new Minor Clan,
including giving them a home. The actual
responsibility fell to the Otomo, who were less than
pleased with the whole affair surrounding the clan's
creation. Eventually, the Bear was granted lands
nestled in the foothills western section of the Wall
above the Ocean mountain range, very close to
Crab lands. Originally, the Otomo attempted to
place the Bear on the eastern side, in Crane lands,
but the Crane petitioned to the Emperor, who of
course favored the Crane and instead placed the
Bear near Crab territory rather than deprive the
Crane of one foot of land. This has not endeared
the Bear to the Crab at all.
 The Bear's single province was of workable
quality, but has little overall worth. The most
valued spots of the nearby mountains were already
claimed by the Crane and Crab long before the
Bear came into existence, as were the locations
with the most fertile soil. Still, it is enough for the
Bear to get by, and the clan's simple tastes mean
they rarely need real extravagances. Their peasants
are willing to work hard, as the Bear's samurai often
share bounty of their labors.
One notable resource the Bear maintain is
honey. Kuma himself had a regular sweet tooth; as
did many of his followers, and the Bear maintain a
small but reliable supply of honey on hand because
of this. This supply has never been very big, seeing
as their lands are not strongly suited for wholesale
honey production, but it is enough that the Bear
have never needed to buy it from another clan.
The Bear have only one important holding,
on the Osano-Wo Reach planet: Shiro Kuma. The
keep was built by both peasant and samurai hands,
as Kuma and his followers were eager to have their
home completed quickly and had no qualms about
doing the work themselves. The 'castle' itself is
small and plain, more like an estate. However, the
grounds surrounding it have been turned into a vast
gymnasium, fit for any form of athletic training.
Bear samurais train themselves at the castle
grounds at all hours of the day, constantly fighting
in all sorts of physical challenges to prove who is
strongest. At the center of Shiro Kuma is a large
shrine to Bishamon, whom the Bear consider their
patron (and possible forefather, if the rumors
surrounding the first Kuma are to be believed).
The Bear Clan has a slightly smaller than
average population for a Minor Clan. The Bear's
birthrates are normal, but their relative poverty
means that they sometimes lack the medical care
available to richer clans. They also have had no
recorded shugenja born amongst their ranks, and
must ask the priests of other clans to bless their
crops and births.
Every birth in Bear lands, samurai or
commoner, is celebrated with a plentiful but simple
meal of the family's favorites, followed by a desert
of honey on toasted flatbread. The custom was
born of the simple food item being the first Kuma's
favorite treat; the Bear believe that eating it at a
birth grabs the attention of Kuma's spirit, and helps
make the child strong.
61
Kuma family members tend to be strongly
built and tall, especially males. They're rarely
considered attractive, especially when compared to
samurai from other clans, due to their peasant
origins. Most samurai notice that Kuma have
'commoner' features, which lack either the softness
favored by the Crane, or the confident proud look
prized by the Lion. Most wouldn't be called
ruggedly handsome so much as simply gruff and
hard-featured. A few, especially those from long
sumai lines, are the notable exceptions. A good
sumai can normally expect a good marriage,
regardless of status, and sumai are always in
demand. As such, Kuma from the family's sumai
best lines tend to show features common amongst
other clans, especially the Lion, Phoenix, and
Crane.
In spite of their great love of sumai, Kuma
are rarely 'fat.' Their love of all athleticism and
disdain for laziness means the Kuma work out
regularly, and are often more muscled and stouter
than outright fat. If anything, they are never
flabby.
The Bear have few allies. After their initial
creation, the Crane had little use for the Bear, and
largely ignores them. The Lion find their peasant
origins revolting overall, and their creation
insulted the Crab. Luckily, the in the years that
followed, the Bear offered no further insults and
the Crab seem to have dropped any interest in
feuding with the Minor Clan (or considers
destroying them more trouble than its worth). The
Bear's only form of influence is in their strength
and athletic skill; they try to compete in any
athletic contest they hear of, and send as many
representatives to the Winter Court sumai
tournaments as possible. Successful sumai bring
wealth, favors, and prestige to the Bear, as well as
good marriages and connections. In eras where the
Mantis are still a Minor Clan, they have a semi-
hostile relationship, seeing the Bear as rivals in
both athletic contests (which the Mantis also
appreciate), and in mercenary work. Once the
Mantis becomes a Great Clan, they might view the
Bear in a different light, as a clan of strong warriors
they can possibly absorb into a Mantis family.
The Bear always admired the Badger's strength and
appreciation for wrestling, and the two would be
strong allies normally. However, both the distance
between them and the Badger's deeply reclusive
traditions mean members of either clan rarely see
each other.
 Of relations with the Minor Clans, the Bear
fare slightly better. The Hare and Sparrow both are
close enough to their commoners to not care about
the Bear's peasant blood and bearings, and are
generally friendly, though their different spheres of
influence mean they have little interest in one
another. The Bear consider magic something
outside of their understanding, so shugenja clans
like the Dragonfly and Fox pose little interest to
them, though the Bear do prefer to request a Minor
Clan shugenja to bless their crops or births rather
than one belonging to a Great Clan.
Occasionally, the Bear find themselves
hired by other clans as yojimbo, especially to the
Crane. While this may seem strange at first, a few
courtiers have found that having a powerfully built
bodyguard can influence negotiations, especially
with the Crab. The presence of Kuma bushi can
disrupt a Yasuki merchant's negotiation methods,
as they often attempt to have their Hida yojimbo
subtly threaten their adversaries, a task far harder
when the person sitting across the table has a bushi
that can match the Hida in size and bulk.
Athleticism is the most prized aspect of the Bear.
Wrestling and sumai are held in highest esteem,
but any display of athletic ability is encouraged.
Likewise, scholarly pursuits are seen as unnecessary,
and education, which can be expensive for the
poor clan anyway, is kept to a minimum. The Bear
do not have the resources to teach any refined and
courtly arts, though they trade favors to the Crane
to teach their brightest students of sumai the
etiquette lessons necessary to avoid embarrassment
in court. If a Kuma has a Crane mother or wife
(which can be a little more common than one
might think), it falls on her to teach him such arts
instead.
Because traditional sumai is reserved for
men* (though woman are allowed to compete in
several contests, including some Winter Court
tournaments) boys children are favored slightly
over girls, and sumai fathers will go to lengths to
ensure their sons follow in their footsteps. This
tradition is less apparent in non-sumai family lines,
and ignored outright in families that focus on a
bushi's traditional role as a warrior first and
foremost. The few women sumai of the Bear can
expect promotions and the best possible marriages,
in or out of the clan, as such rarities are considered
clear signs of Bishamon's favor. Woman warriors
and athletes alike are respected as equal members
of the clan, though only males that have gained the
sumai rank of sanyaku are allowed to become Bear
Champion. Non-warrior women can expect to
62
receive better educations than their male
counterparts, especially in finances and history, and
are the most likely to be selected for training
outside of the Bear, even if they are encouraged to
maintain athletic fitness. Women normally oversee
the economics and education of their household.
In fact, the Bear Champion's wife normally knows
just as much, if not more, about the clan's finances
and politics than he does.
A promotion in rank in the Bear Clan is
followed by the person promoted wrestling those
beneath him in one-on-one contests to prove his
strength and worthiness. This also means that a
newly crowned Bear Champion must wrestle all of
his most important vassals, and such an event is
treated as a grand tournament the whole clan can
watch and enjoy; often, troops will cheer for their
commanding officers rather than their new young
Champion, and the Bear consider this acceptable.
The Kuma are simple people with simple
and cheap tastes. They do not have lavish parties,
are content with simple meals and drink, and dress
in the plainest clothing their station allows for.
Because they come from peasant stalk, the Bear
treat their commoners well, not allowing them to
be abused by clan-mates or outsiders alike. The
Bear are a jolly people, and they have many
festivals, often centered on athletic contests, that
peasant and samurai alike can join in. On the very
rare occasion that a commoner wins such contests,
they are allowed to join the Kuma family.
*Note: Modern professional sumo wrestling is still
male-only in real life, and highly traditional.
While a few woman sumo originations are around,
they are rare. The GM is free to decide how true
this is in Rokugan (if this distinction exists at all).
THE KUMA FAMILY: +1 STAMINA
The Kuma of the Bear are a strong, large people.
They universally despise physically weakness, and
constantly train in athletics to improve their
bodies. While rarely attractive, the Kuma's strength
cannot be denied.
They are quite often shaggy or at least
hairier than the average rokugani. The beards are
appreciated by the men whereas the ladies often
braid their long hair in an elaborate way.
Members of the Kuma family are usually
calm, jovial and sweet, but beware the ones who
dare to threaten them because their anger is
proportional to their temperance. One must be
wary of the bear that sleeps...
KUMA BUSHI SCHOOL

The Kuma Bushi are paragons of strength, favoring

melee combat and especially wrestling. The Kuma
favor endurance and strength, trusting it to see
them through against faster and more skilled
opponents. Those unlucky enough to be caught in
the Kuma bushi's grasp rarely escape.

Benefit: +1 Strength
Skills: Athletics, Heavy Weapons,
Hunting, Jujutsu (Grapples), Kenjutsu,
any two Skills.
Honor: 4.5
Outfit: Light or Heavy Armor, Travelling
Pack, Daisho, Any one weapon, Practical
Clothing, 3 koku

TECHNIQUES

RANK 1: THE WAY OF THE BEAR

The Kuma possess strength and endurance of their
namesake, making them mighty warriors. Add
+1k0 to all Damage rolls made with Melee attacks
(including unarmed attacks). You gain 3 bonus
Wounds per Wound Rank.

RANK 2: SLEEPING STRENGTH

The Kuma Bushi endures like a hibernating bear,
his strength outlasting even the winter's rage. You
subtract your Strength from any Wound Penalties
you suffer.
RANK 3: CLAWS AND FANGS
Strength and speed lead power to each other. You
may make Melee attacks as Simple Actions,
including when fighting Unarmed.

RANK 4: HIBERNATION'S END

A bear awoken from hibernation is as dangerous a
foe as most oni, and the Kuma Bushi emanate its
power. You may spend a Void Point on any
Strength-based Roll (including Damage Rolls) to
cause the lowest kept dice to Explode.

RANK 5: MIGHT OF THE BEAR

Nothing that stands before an angry bear lives to
tell of it. Once per encounter, when you damage
an opponent in with a Melee attack or while
Grappling them, you may spend a Void Point to
cause the target make an Earth Ring Roll against a
TN equal to the damage dealt, or be Stunned for
one Round.

63

The Beaver clan originated in the Dragon. It is
indeed for them very frustrating to be confronted
with an enigma that they cannot solve. Particularly
when you carry the name of Kitsuki and find
yourselves in front of a nebula impossible to cross.
Kitsuki Kato was one of them. While he saw the
progress of science bringing their everyday its lot of
wonders, he deduced that the finding the solution
was only a matter of time. But a single existence of
man would it suffice for to know it? He doubted it
sincerely. Kitsuki Kato had heard of the founder
Kami of his clan, Togashi, and read that he lived
until the twelfth century without aging. This
divine power fascinated him but his wisdom told
him that to seek the means of achieving it would
violate the Celestial Order. He was no more
attracted by the yet so promising maho and said
that the solution would come from the technology
itself.
He studied more and more, began engineering,
discovered robotics and applied himself to it. After
all, robots suffer very little from the outrage of
time. If he should succeed in transferring his
consciousness into one of them, then, it would live
for eternity even if he would lose the faculty to
have feelings. For more than 50 years he worked
tirelessly until he managed to build a satisfactory
prototype of android. But energy was beginning to
fail both at the level of the body and the
astronomical amount it would take to transfer its
mind into the robot. It was then that a ronin
presented himself before his door. The latter never
revealed his identity but said he wanted to talk to
Kitsuki Kato. They talked together all night, no
one really knows about what, but in the morning as
the ronin went away in the mist, Kitsuki Kato had
changed.
He abandoned his research and then began
building more reliable, more robust habitats so that
his offspring could comfortably live the time to
wait where he had failed. He had a daughter,
Kitsuki Misato, who, after his marriage, had in her
turn given birth. But her only little girl fell ill
shortly before her gempukku when she nevertheless
64
seemed promised a bright future. Nothing seemed
to be able to cure her and Kato, instead of despair,
prayed for a long time to her ancestors. No one
knows what happened that night when a terrible
storm broke out. In the morning Kato was
discovered dead of exhaustion, a smiling to the lips
in the temple of his ancestors. The little girl had
also succumbed to the disease and despair began to
point in the heart of Misato for not being able to
perpetuate the work of his father. But while she was
crying something unheard of happened, she
suddenly felt a hand rest on her shoulder and
turned, frightened.
She discovered the android, who, as animated by a
conscience of her own, came to console her. With
time Misato felt the presence of her daughter in
this body of cold metal but whose eyes nevertheless
showed a spark of feelings. The robot had become
the receptacle of the girl's soul. He explained that
this was what Emma-O, the fortune of Death,
decided in exchange for the expectation and
servitude offered by Kitsuki Kato. When the story
reached the Imperial Palace, Empress Iweko CXI
decided to grant Kitsuki Kato the status of minor
fortune of Patience. She also created the Kato
family and the Beaver clan. Officially their duty
would be to perpetuate the work of Kitsuki Kato in
the manufacture of habitats and robots.
Unofficially, the aim would be to break through
the secrets between the spirits and the artificial
intelligence to reach a status of eternity...
The Beaver's home and greatest achievement is the
Bibagari One, a massive colony ship with hills,
rivers and seas under a space worthy dome. This
ship was a collaborative effort between the Beaver,
Unicorn and Crab, and was designed as a potential
means of crossing the Empire's empty western
border. For now, the three Clans use it as a mobile
temporary base for ship repairs and construction.
Most of their economy comes from their habitat
craftsmanship and they are reputed to design very
beautiful skyscrapers. They still lack off true
funding’s to implement their research facilities
about robotics and cybernetics.
The beaver is a very young clan and not very
populous. They were happy to welcome some
former Dogs, Unicorns and Crabs clan members
who adopted the small beaver as their new clan.
Many of them are just searching for peace but some
of them have an interest to make their way into
this new domain of engineering.
The Beaver are fairly sociable, as they understand
you can't run a ship alone, but tend to bypass
political maneuvering in favor of the kind of
honest, direct approach that saves lives every day.
Though the Beaver are excellent team leaders,
their knowledge of combat is very basic, and both
families rely on the Dog Clan for protection.

BIBA FAMILY: +1 WILLPOWER

Their Biba shugenja family studies officially the art
of massive space transportation, and researches
ways to make it simpler and easier. It would be very
useful to place massive orbital stations without
having to deploy tremendous energy or armies of
shugenjas. Secretly, the most talented of them seek
the link between technology and spirits, how a
kami could provide energy to fuel a device, how a
soul managed to habit a robot, etc. Some of their
work has already given results even if some Spider
agents have rendered such fast research easier with
maho…

KATO FAMILY: +1 INTELLIGENCE

Kato does their best to maintain the flourishing
clan activities running despites of funds. They are
unique in the way they try form themselves as
courtiers or bushis. They are responsible of
recruiting laborers and negotiating contracts
against favors to implement the clan basics.

BIBA TECHNOCRAT [SHUGENJA]

Benefit: +1 Perception
Skills: Cryptography (Cipher), Lore:
Theology, Meditation, Spellcraft 2, Use
Computer, any one High Skill
Honor: 3.5
Outfit: Robes, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon,
Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack, 1 koku
Affinity/Deficiency: Air / Earth

Technique: Discovering Electricity Kamis - You

can spend any number of Air Spell slots as a Simple
Action to give to a skill test using technology (as
Use Computer, Piloting, Flying, Driving or
Cryptography) a +1k1 bonus for each slot you
spend this way. Also, you gain a Free Rise for all
spells with the Technology tag.
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 Air, 2 Water,
and 1 Fire

65

The Clan of the Ibis was born of war. But not
from the inspiration that can give the war. I
have nothing to do with tactics or even strategy
but with propaganda and morale. Like the
Emperor, Doji Aibisu could no longer see his
countrymen constantly quarreling over territory.
She had lost her parents, both mowed down by
infighting while the Alliances War threatened
to destroy the Emerald Empire from within. Doji
Aibisu knew it better than anyone.
She was not particularly good with
blades or weapons but excelled from an early age
in the art of eloquence. So, she began to send
letters to all clan warlords to try to resolve the
conflict. But nothing helped. Even the pacifist
Phoenix clan refused to listen to reason. Then
she took drastic measures and decided to contact
the Emperor himself.
The son of Heaven heard his
supplication and offered the girl to speak on his
behalf as the Voice of the Emperor. There has
never had such a young person in this position
but Doji Aibisu not retired. She spent long days
to prepare a speech for the Emperor and almost a
month later, it was widely distributed
throughout the Empire by the YNN. The words
were so righteous, the emotion was such that
resounded to the ends of the galaxy and the
fighting ended early. The Emperor delighted to
finally see peace return proclaimed as soon the
new Aibisu family name of the Ibis clan. The
one that had delivered the message was the first
daimyo. He entrusted her the mission to
maintain the morale of the population in all
conditions, to ensure that the joy lives in the
hearts on and that culture was a vector of peace.
The Crane Clan took offense of this purpose
that was assigned to her then Aibisu Ishiko
purposed to become the spokesman of the Minor
Clan Alliance. The Emperor agreed. Since then,
The Ibis Clan represents the cultural strength of
the Alliance.
66
Most Ibis holdings are broadcasting stations or
recruitment agencies in places offered to them
by the Great Clans. Their largest holding is Ko-
no-hama's Bloom, an ocean city (with a station
in geostationary orbit above it) on the Unicorn
world of Suitengu's Grasp with a spectacular
view of a nearby nebula. (The Unicorn gave
them the territory to ensure they'd get all Ibis
broadcasts.). Notably the Ibis Clan is one of the
richest of minor clans and its revenue comes
from advertising and prohibitive fees of artists
among its ranks.
Ibis's clan has more people than it seems at first
look because its members are not all situated in
Ko-no-hama's Bloom but scattered throughout
the Empire. Gossips claim that only the
wealthiest or the most famous are entitled to
become members of this very select clan but it is
not in reality. As the clan serves as cultural
window to the alliance of minor clans, it seeks to
show only its finery but all celebrities started at
the bottom of the scale even if it is true they are
almost always from the samurai caste. You can
find etas, heimins and hinins in the clan but
they are often relegated to menial tasks such as
handling and maintenance.
Is not a member of the Ibis who wants. For a
chance to be accepted as such it must be
recognized by his peers as an outstanding
individual. Many people claim to be from Ibis
clan because of his high dispersion while they
have never even been approached by one. The
Ibis clan recruits by itself and unsolicited
applications and volunteers rarely have a
favorable response. Only the best of the best
should expect to be welcome.
The clan holds every winter an annual
gala to receive donations that will go to the
poorest. The event is broadcast throughout the
empire by YNN. However, unlike the favor of
the Miya family, the funds raised are generally
used only for Minor Clan Alliance members.
AIBISU FAMILY: +1 REFLEXES
The Aibisu family is not prestigious by his
struggles or his bravery but by his eloquence, his
wit and panache. The Aibisu are usually
exuberant in their habits, their demands and
their clothing, they're one of the few Minor
Clans families who can expect to be known and
recognized wherever they go. The glory they get
usually serves them as an excuse for all the
etiquette or courtesy errors they may commit.
Having a member of the Clan of the Ibis at his
court is a pledge of fun as much as prestige.
Aibisu are proud, sometimes even arrogant and
often behave with a slight disdain. They never
fail to remember that they are appreciated to the
court of the Emperor…
Ibis clan members may never buy the Bland
advantage.
AIBISU WAR DANCER SCHOOL
[BUSHI]
Benefit: +1 Agility
Skills: Acting, Athletics, Intimidation,
Jiujutsu, Kenjutsu, War Fans, any one
Perform skills.
Honor: 2.5
Outfit: Extravagant Clothing, Daisho,
two Tessen, Music recorder/emitter,
Traveling pack, 8 koku.
TECHNIQUES
RANK 1: THE BLAZE OF THE IBIS
The Aibisu truly believes that her work serves a
higher purpose and has often little care about
her own protection. So, they are used to have
servants to take care of them and especially
yojimbos at their service to protect them against
hordes of groupies. You may but the Servant
advantage for 4 points instead of 5. Anyone may
Guard you as a Free Action. You also gain a
+1k1 bonus to your Perform skills.
67
RANK 2: BRIGHT OF THE IRON FAN
No one in the Empire has mastered the facets of
the iron fan with the same fluency at the Aibisu
War Dancers. When wielding a war fan or a
music instrument in your off hand, you suffer no
penalties for attacks made with that hand. You
also add your rank in War Fans to the total of
your Armor TN at all time while wielding a War
Fan.
RANK 3: SPEED OF THE STARS
With speed built upon endless training, the
Aibisu strikes an opponent from every angle.
Attacking is a simple action instead of a
complex action when listening good music or
using War Fans or a music instrument.
RANK 4: ANONYMITY SHIELD
The Aibisu War Dancer wear extravagant
clothes while on stage, both to inspire fear in
opponents, imagination of their audience and to
make them difficult to distinguish from one-
another.
When wearing extravagant clothes, you gain
Fear 2. This effect rises by 1 for every five
additional Aibisu War Dancer fighting alongside
you, to a limit of Fear 6. When wearing
traditional clothes, this effect does not occur.
However, when someone makes a Lore:
Heraldry/Intelligence roll to determine your
identity, you may voluntarily choose to increase
the TN of that roll by 10.
RANK 5: TRANCE OF THE RHYTHM
Those who have mastered the Aibisu School
seem to strike from everywhere at once. If you
attack more than once in the same turn while
listening good music and wielding a Tessen or a
music instrument, you may make a single extra
attack maneuver each time with your off hand
for 3 raises instead of 5.

“When the appetite goes well, all is well ..."
Sometimes it is memorable meals that mark the
spirits. Hida Kunshin was among people who
thought that. Originally, he was a sumai warrior
from the Crab Clan, but his overweight
prevented him from being truly effective in
combat. He always liked to eat; it was sickly for
him. So rather than bring shame on his family,
he preferred to retire to a Brotherhood
monastery in order to find the serenity that he
lacked.
This works wonderfully and Kunshin
finally found his inner peace. But when the
Alliances War raged and many inhabitants of
the Empire were driven from their homes, many
people died of starvation. Kunshin who loved
food could not bear it.
He brought much of his attention in
devotion to the Fortune or rice Inari but it
seemed to him that she remained insensitive to
his pleas. Also, he undertook to bring all possible
resources to create a soup to help the poor. He
was little inclined to use diplomacy to get funds
then he has a strange idea. He excelled in the art
of preparing meals with few resources and
petitioned the Komori family so he can
disseminate culinary ideas on Yumeji News
Network.
They accepted and the Kunshin
television show enjoyed a successful start, up to
boost the morale of a population ravaged by war
by his debonair and playful humor. Soon he was
joined in his effort by others who put their talent
at the service of the poor. Certainly, the Crane
Clan obviously tried to oppose this initiative,
but it had to bow to the growing popularity of
the show to concentrate on their war effort.
The legend says that the Emperor
himself heard of it and that once the war ended,
he disguised himself begging to mingle incognito
68
at the soup kitchen. When he saw the effort
made to feed the population, he immediately
revealed his identity and said he had never eaten
better food than he had consumed. A food that
filled not only the stomach but mostly fed the
soul. As a reward he conferred Kunshin the
family name of Xiongmao and asked him to
found a minor clan for his initiative to endure.
Kunshin Xiongmao is now long dead but his
charity work continues and there is even a
restaurant that bears his name in rebuilt city of
Otosan Ushi on Rokugan.
The wealth of the Panda Clan is almost indecent
for a family of monks but it is mainly due to
imperial support and to their popularity. They
never use their fame or wealth of apparent
manner, preferring to live in a humble and quiet
way and entrust money to the rest of the
Brotherhood and to the poor. They often live
independently, their popularity earning them
more often to be warmly welcomed everywhere.
They have only one fixed place, the Peaceful
Bamboo Monastery located in the Dragon space.
There are often more mouths to feed than
monks in Panda facilities but the food is never
lacking for those who appreciate good food.
Members of the panda clan are reputed to be
constantly feeding, snacking or chewing
something, even when they meditate. All
excuses are good to eat something and they
multiply meals every day. They are often grumpy
when they cannot sustain but their reserves
allow them to hold several days without food just
with meditation. They have good relations with
the minor clans as the Albatross, the Tanuki,
the Salmon and the Bat and they are also in very
good terms with the Miya imperial family.
Xiongmao Monks revere all Fortunes but
especially Inari, Toyouke-Omikami and Kojin.
XIONGMAO FAMILY: +1 STAMINA
The panda is a symbolic animal of friendship,
peace, a quiet strength and determination.
Under his apparent gentleness, he reiterates the
importance of establishing a clear scope to
delineate the space of privacy and sense of
security. The Xiongmao family reflects this and
its members are likely to be quite emotional and
make proof of compassion. A stable material
comfort is a source of well-being, sometimes to
the risk of dependence and goes to excess.
Xiongmao so encourage integrating different
aspects of the personality into a harmonious
whole without depending on material goods.
Whoever refuses food to a person who requests is
severely punished.
XIONGMAO SUMAI SCHOOL
[MONK]
The Xiongmao Monks practice a particular art
for Sumotori. Not widespread and focused on
non-violence, their techniques are easily
laughable to the uninitiated. They teach above
all patience and intuition, to avoid combat
whenever it’s possible. Enjoying the protection
of the Emperor, its members are among the most
honorable of the Brotherhood.
Devotion: Fortunist
Benefit: +1 Awareness
Skills: Tea Ceremony, Knowledge:
Theology (Fortunes), Etiquette
(Courtesy), Jiujutsu (Sumai),
Meditation, Sincerity (Honesty), a
High skill at choice.
Honor: 6.0
Outfit: Simple clothes, a Bo or a pair of
Jo, Travelling Pack, 6 Kokus
TECHNIQUES
RANK1: HEAVEN STABILITY
The TN any test to throw you down or make you
lose your balance is increased by 20. You must
purchase the Corpulent Disadvantage but
benefit from a Fortune of Foods ‘Blessing of your
choice.
RANK 2: HEALTHY MIND IN A HEALTHY BODY
All your buys of Mental Advantages and
Physical Disadvantages are reduced by 1 point.
You get a bonus of + 1k1 in all your school skills.
RANK 3: NEVER REPEAT
Pandas are known to meditate long and to be
symbols of peace and wisdom. But when there is
no other solution than confrontation, they work
with disconcerting speed and high efficiency.
You can make your attacks Unarmed or with a
bo or a pair of jo with Simple Actions instead of
Complex Actions.
69
RANK 4: TO SPREAD IMPERIAL PEACE
The Emperor greatly appreciates the quiet side of
the Xiongmao family. If a person tries to unfairly
slander you, you can try a Social Opposed Test
of Sincerity (Honesty)/ Intuition against
Sincerity (Deception) / Intuition your opponent.
If successful, any loss of honor due to this lie is
doubled and imposed on the liar.
You can buy the Sacrosanct and Imperial
Alliance (with Miya family) Advantages for one
point less.
RANK 5: SOLID AS A BAMBOO
Pandas are known for their incredible resilience.
They can withstand longer than normal to
impact and lack of food. You can spend one
Void Point as a Simple Action to ignore all
damage taken during an attack. You also receive
the Advantage Blessing of Inari for free.
XIONGMAO MASTER OF SUSHIS
(ALTERNATE PATH) [ARTISAN]
As Xiongmao are not samurai monk by their
status, nothing prevents them from cooking
without anyone taking offense. They even past
masters in the fine art of preparing sushis that
they consume in vast quantities. They fill this
practice with katas which apply only to sushis, a
thousand times repeated gestures that bring
them culinary excellence.
Rank: 2
Replaces: Any school at rank 2
Prerequisites: Craft: (Cooking) 4
Technique: The Stomach is the Seat of
the Good Mood - All your Craft
(Cooking) and Tea Ceremony rolls
receive a Free Raise. When you spend a
Void Point to increase their results, you
get a bonus of + 2k2 instead of +1k1.
The first time you use one of these two
skills to prepare a meal for a person of
higher status to yours and that it is
successful and appreciated, you gain 2
Glory points.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but
today is a gift. That is why it is called the
present…”
The origins of this clan are as mysterious as him.
Some will say that he never existed, others that
he has been there forever. Some will finally say
that it has been recreated sometimes multiple
times, no one has an absolute answer on the
subject. And for good reason ... All his assertions
are both true and false. This illusory and
incomprehensible paradox of common mortals
holds its key in the why and causality of the
rooster's clan: time. By whom and when it was
created have no importance. It is almost assumed
that he is related directly to the Phoenix clan,
even though it is tenuous and risky to trace the
time line of his past. His animal is a symbol of
pride and flamboyance but above all it is an
indicator of the time that passes. The rooster was
considered a sacred animal, associated with
Amaterasu, for it greets the sun at the dawning
of every day with its cry, and with Fire for its
fierceness when threatened. Peasants believed
the crowing of a rooster can banish gaki and
other unsavory spirits. Shinseist monks
considered roosters to be good luck. Some will
argue it's also a kind of "minor phoenix" but
never in front of a scientist of the rooster clan.
The rooster's clan has - for the moment - a small
domain removed from the possessions of the
Phoenix. Nakigoe Shiro is very uncrowded and
is almost as mystical as a possession of the
Dragon. Its exact position is an incongruous
secret because it seems that the domain
sometimes simply disappears or moves on its own
to reappear elsewhere without anyone caring. In
fact, temporal paradoxes can sometimes alter
reality without anyone other than rooster
members noticing it. The clan has a wealth as
70
unsuspected as inexplicable; it seems that his
chests and reserves never fade without reaching
proportions that could attract attention and lust.
Only the most mystical - mainly from the
Dragon clan but also from the Kitsune family of
the Mantis clan - inexplicably feel the
strangeness of the rooster's clan for what it really
is.
Many are rightly passionate
watchmakers and the only real trade practiced
by the small clan comes from the sale of their
achievements in this area. Clepsydras, antique
hourglasses and other hourly candles are prized
gifts sought by the clan.
The clan does not talk much about it. However,
weddings are always the result of a laborious
arrangement for which the rooster members
defend themselves tooth and nail. They
maintain accurate and accurate family trees in
order to maintain their lineage in a destiny
known only to the "Fortune of Time". It is
difficult to estimate its total population
accurately because many of the Hokori ni omou
are infiltrated into other clans for investigation
purposes.
The rooster's clan measures the passing of time.
Not as historians - even if they have good
relations with the lion's clan - but as
metronomic scientists to measure and quantify
it. With the exploration of space, it appeared
that this task was both relative and important. It
was indeed increasingly difficult to maintain a
competent administration without anyone
precisely regulating when time is this or on a
planet. So, an emperor decreed that it was
imperative for someone to keep an eye on it and
the rooster clan was created. The clan is
therefore up to date with the means to measure
time but also a whole series of directories that
give the precise measure of time and calendars of
different areas of the Emerald Empire.
For the rooster clan time is extremely
important. This is the main test of the clan's
gempukku: Memorize as much temporal
information as possible and recite it from
memory. Not to detail an event or highlight the
glory as the lion clan would but to keep an
indelible and as accurate as possible trace.
Besides, none of its members will ever travel
without at least one way of measuring time. It is
also given to them at the same time as their
daisho at the time of their gempukku. Apart
from this, the rooster clan is a warm and
welcoming institution, every moment must be
appreciated for what it is without nostalgia of
the past or anxiety of the future.
Almost unknown also to other clans
except the Dragon Clan and imperial families is
a task of the rooster clan to study, catalog and
classify any phenomenon related to temporal
anomalies, temporal loops and other temporal
alternative realities. The Hokori ni omou are
extremely discreet but will do their utmost to
maintain the integrity of the time frame.
Although to date the journey through time
remains a hypothetical thing by magic and
impossible with the current technology, the facts
have shown that it was not impossible.
They venerate and respect their
ancestors, kamis and fortunes for what they are
and with all the application of the other clans
without however having the same relations of
deference. Their daimyo has the exclusive and
imperative peculiarity of venerating a "fortune of
time" which remains virtually unknown to any
other person - including the Emperor himself -
and whose name cannot be revealed by any case.
The biggest secret of the clan is that this Fortune
is not an ancestor but a mysterious benefactor
who would operate from the future. It is through
him that the clan would be able to prevent
damaging facts. The first mission of the clan
daimyo is to maintain this absolute secret which
will only be revealed to his successor. Some
claim that if the seventh month rokugani is
dedicated to their animal totem, this is nothing
but a discreet tribute to the many invisible
services that the clan has rendered to the
Empire.
The minor clan of the Lynx has
sometimes wind of actions of the Rooster and
vice versa because their actions are
complementary. Their relationship is stormy
however because the clan of the Rooster sticks
to the facts and does not care about the
prophecies of the Lynx. Many of its members
cannot know that their enlightened daimyo
owes its apparent clairvoyance only through the
"Fortune of Time".
The clan has also proved that
sometimes elements of the past fluctuate and
disappear without any other possible cause than
a mysterious intervention. Since then they have
undertaken in a secret library to write almanacs
71
that note any incursion of another time in the
time frame of the Empire. In fact, the rooster
clan is aware of certain "pockets of time" that
exist outside of "reality". Even if they are almost
impossible to penetrate, they are nonetheless
real. A saying says that "Nothing unreal exists":
Keeping track of time means protecting the
integrity of reality. The rooster clan knows for
sure that there is not a story but several parallel
and complementary stories. So, he does not
make any effort to explain his origins because he
knows himself that they have changed several
times in the past - but also the future. The clan
will never undertake anything that may be
harmful to the destiny even less if this act aims
to promote a selfish or personal destiny.
NAKIGOE FAMILY: +1 PERCEPTION
The Nakigoe are always exemplary punctuality
sometimes even disturbing or incongruous in the
eyes of other clans. They are meticulous, fussy
sometimes obsequious but most often humble in
front of the scale of their task. They are aware
that they are only a tiny part of the destiny of
the universe and mark promptly every moment
of the day but also of the imperial calendar.
Every anniversary date, every moment of
importance must be notified.
The little clan of the rooster has only one school
of shugenja and the needs of each are sometimes
found in the results to fill them. Their
observations sometimes allow them to subtly
distinguish the immediate time frame in order to
act at the most favorable moment.
Rooster members experimented with
various forms of magic. One of them was based
on the secrets of the Khadi wizards of the Senpet
Empire. The most terrible secret of Khadi was
even stolen by Iuchiban himself, becoming
immortal, braving the power of time. Far from
being aware of such blasphemous witchcraft, the
Rooster have nevertheless learned some notion
to influence the passage of time. Their studies
resulted in slowing down time, allowing one to
act before the other. Perhaps in the distant
future, will the accomplishment of this
technique allow them to travel back and forward
in time?
NAKIGOE TIME WALKER SCHOOL
[SHUGENJA]
Benefit: +1 Perception
Skills: Cryptography (Cipher), Lore:
Theology, Meditation, Spellcraft 2, Use
Computer, any one High Skill
Honor: 3.5
Outfit: Robes, Wakizashi, any 1
weapon, Scroll Satchel, Traveling Pack,
1 koku
Affinity/Deficiency: Water/ Fire

Technique: One step ahead - By a spending a

Free Action, a Void Point and a Water Spell,
the character increases his Initiative by +1k1 in
a skirmish. By extra Water Spell spent, within
the limit of his Shugenja School Rank, the
bonus increases by + 1k0.

The character can also increase for a global of +

1k1, the initiative of one of his allies located in
his 9m, if he spends an additional Void Point.
Unlike the character, this ally will not benefit
from the bonus given by the additional Spell
Expense.

Finally, as part of a mass fight, by a Free Action,

spending a Void Point and a Water Spell, the
character moves automatically on the line of his
choice. By spending an extra point of Void, he
can benefit one of his allies located in his 9m.
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 Water, 2
Air, and 1 Earth

72
 RANK 5: THE SHOW MUST GO ON
AKODO ACTOR [BUSHI]
The Akodo learns the final lesson. The play is
the thing; his life is unimportant in comparison
The new "Akodo" have nothing to do with the
to his performance. Once per day, he may spend
once great Lion family of the same name, save
a Void Point as a Complex Action ignore the
their importance to the Lion Clan. "Akodo" is
effects of wound levels (including Down, Out,
merely an appellation, nothing more, applied to
and Dead) for a number of rounds equal to his
students in tribute to the legendary family. The
Awareness.
Akodo Actors are not the thespian actors of the
Kakita or the trained impostors of the Shosuro.
The Akodo are destined for action movie
KAKITA PROGRAMMER [COURTIER]
stardom, and as such must be brilliant
The Kakita Programmers are the modern
combatants as well as charismatic celebrity
champions of the Crane Clan. They are the
personalities.
moneymakers, executives, and defenders of
Dojicorp, the Crane super corporation that
Benefit: +1 Awareness
dominates sixty percent of the world's computer
Honor: 3,5
markets. The students of the Kakita are highly
Skills: Acting (Action films), Firearms,
trained and in demand, but among their training
Kenjitsu, Jiujitsu, Defense, Driving, any
is a certain level of restraint -- they almost never
one Bugei or High Skill.
perform at their peak of ability unless doing so
Outfit: Daisho, Side Firearm, Simple
for their own clan.
Clothing, Concealed Light Body
Armor, any one Weapon, Travelling
Benefit: +1 Intelligence
Pack, 7 Kokus
Honor: 3, 5
TECHNIQUES Skills: Computer 2, Etiquette,
Meditation, Any 3 High Skills
Outfit: Portable Laptop Computer (can
RANK 1: A SOUL OF THUNDER
modem into home systems), Simple
The Akodo's charisma is unmatched. It is his
Clothing, Tanto, Travelling Pack, 10
spirit and his strenght; he carries it into
Koku,
everything that he does. Actors from this school
may add his Awareness to the total of any skill
TECHNIQUES
roll he makes.
RANK 1: THE NEW WAY
RANK 2: YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE
A Kakita Programmer has an unparalleled
The Akodo Actor is trained to make no
knowledge of programming, data storage, and
mistakes. The opportunity for greatness comes
the YNN. The Programmer may add one to
only once. Once per day, the actor may spend a
every die kept on a Computer skill roll for every
Void Point as a Simple Action to re-roll any
rank she has achieved.
failed roll. Take one of the two results at your
choice.
RANK 2: TO SEEK TRUTH
The Programmer is capable of building complex
RANK 3: STRIKE WITHOUT STRIKING
computer systems from spare parts, and can
The Akodo is now the center of restraint and
create basic programs in hours. When doing
the heart of fury. He may choose to make a Full
research using the YNN, the Programmer
Attack that causes no damage whatsoever, but
requires results equal as if she had the equivalent
requires his opponent to make an opposed
Lore Skill at Rank One, or adds one Rank to the
Stamina+ Defense test against his attack roll or
skill if she already knows it. This process takes
be knocked to the ground, missing all his next
ten minutes, minus the Programmer's School
round actions.
Rank in minutes.
RANK 4: THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION
RANK 3: WALLS OF INFORMATION
The Akodo is so loved by the people that he
The Programmer is now knowledgeable in
may attack twice - once for himself and once for
creating elaborate security programs. When
those who live through his deeds. You may make
accessing a friendly system, she may raise its TN
attacks unarmed or with samurai weapons as a
to be hacked by 5 for every twenty minutes she
Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
spends working on it, to a maximum of his

73
Rankx5. This requires a simple skill roll - the
TN of this roll is equal to the amount of
protection she is giving to the system. She may
also attempt to create loop programs raising the
TN of someone entering a system she has hacked
into (even if it is their own) by an equivalent
amount (this effect lasts for the Programmer's
Rank in days, or until it is successfully accessed
once). Either of these effects can only be done to
a particular system once.
RANK 4: TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
The Programmer now understands the workings
of computers better than the machines
themselves. Any operations performed on a
computer now require half the normal time (this
includes her Rank Techniques).
RANK 5: PROGRAMS FORMS MY REALITY
The Programmer now knows the intricate
weavings of man's technology like she knows
herself. She no longer needs make skill rolls
when using a computer unless she intends to
make raises.
RAKUDA BLACK MARKETER SCHOOL
[COURTIER]
The Rakuda Family members are known
throughout Rokugan as diplomats and
peacemakers. Their travels in foreign lands have
given them a unique perspective and
understanding of the customs of other peoples.
Unfortunately, there is a darker side to this
unique understanding. The Rakuda have also
been exposed to the various crime syndicates
and secret mercantile organizations, and in some
cases have participated. These black-market
caravan masters have carved a place for
themselves in the seamy underbelly of world
trade as a cold and ruthless underworld force.
Benefits: +1 Perception
Honor: 1.5
Skills: Commerce, Firearms, Games,
Investigation, Knowledge: Law (for the
purposes of knowing interstellar trade
laws and such and how to find
loopholes in them), Stealth, Sincerity
Outfit: Simple Clothing, Knife, a small
fire arm, a vehicle (Large trucks or fast
cars, a small ship preferred), Travelling
Pack, 8 Kokus
TECHNIQUES
RANK 1: BY THE FORTUNES
The marketeer becomes quite adept at using lies
and subterfuge to cover his tracks and
manipulate others, especially the gullible and
74
stupid. When using Sincerity or Commerce, the
marketeer gains a number of free raises equal to
the difference between his intelligence and the
target. If the target has greater intelligence than
the marketeer, then this technique has no effect.
Also, at this rank, the marketeer gains an
"Underworld Contact." This contact is another
marketeer or a high placed individual in some
other merchant organization. In game terms, this
is more or less the equivalent of a Major Ally,
(maximum worth of 6XP) except that the
contact can't be depended upon to help the
marketeer when he gets into trouble. This
contact is more valuable in gaining information
through underworld syndicates, or as a contact
for buying black market goods.
RANK 2: EYE OF NIGHT
The Marketeer has learned to hone his senses to
a razor's edge, both to the purposes of judging
the quality of goods and the greater good of
keeping his own skin intact. He may add his
Perception ranks on all rolls of Commerce and
attempts to detect ambush.
RANK 3: WORDS THAT BITE
The Marketeer at this rank finds himself
increasingly skilled at manipulating words to his
advantage. By spending a Void Point as a Simple
action and winning an opposed Sincerity/
Awareness roll he can convince an opponent
any of the following:
-That the value of an object is what he
claims it to be (still does not guarantee
a sale)
-That the marketeer's intentions are
honorable (useful for temporarily
escaping a compromising situation)
-That the marketeer comes in peace,
and should not be attacked (is
immediately cancelled if the marketeer
is carrying any sort of visibly offensive
weapons.)
These lies are usually rather thin; most
individuals will believe them at first but quickly
realize that they were taken in by the
marketeer's con. (Generally, a target will fall for
the lie for a time equal to one hour minus their
IntelligenceX10 in minutes, but it's up to the
GM's discretion.)
RANK 4: BEYOND THE VEILS
The marketeer at this point is so skilled at the
weaving of lies that he is now immune to their
power. Sincerity and magical enhancements that
allow lies to be easily told now have no effect
upon the marketeer. When a person attempts to
lie to the marketeer, an opposed
Investigation/Perception vs Sincerity/Awareness
roll will reveal one true fact per raise. (Special
Note: This rank technique is exactly the same as
the Rank 4 technique of the Ide Emissary school,
a fact that has not gone unnoticed by the black
marketeer's more law-abiding brethren.)
RANK 5: DAIKOKU'S CHILD
When making any opposed rolls of Commerce or
Sincerity, the marketeer's target must use their
lowest trait instead of the relevant trait.
SCORPION YOJIMBO [COURTIER]
All Enforcers must have a master, preferably a
Scorpion, in whose employ they work. Their
entire life must is dedicated to protecting and
obeying their daimyo even unto death. Though
they would be the last to admit it, they are
samurai in a truer sense of the word than most in
the Empire of Emerald Stars.
Benefit: +1 Stamina
Skills: Courtier (Intimidation), Defense
2, Firearms, Jiujitsu, Stealth, Driving
Honor: 0,5
Outfit: Side Arm, Light Concealed
Body Armor, Simple Clothing, any 2
Weapons, Travelling Pack, 2 Kokus
TECHNIQUES
RANK 1: LOYALTY IS ALL
The Yojimbo learns the first lesson: his life for
his master's. He may add his master's Glory to
his TN to be hit, and to his initiative.
RANK 2: DEATH OF SUBTLETY
The Yojimbo has developed a tangible aura of
menace. He gains a free raise for all Intimidation
attempts, and may add his Intimidation rank to
his attack and damage rolls.
RANK 3: MY LIFE FOR MY DAIMYO
The Yojimbo is now the ultimate instrument of
self-sacrifice. If he is within ten feet of his
master, he may spend a void point as a Simple
Action to redirect any attack that successfully
hits his master to himself.
RANK 4: YOJIMBO 'S FURY
You may make attacks unarmed or with samurai
weapons as a Simple Action instead of a
Complex Action.
RANK 5: ONLY FOR YOU
The Enforcer's willpower is absolute. So long as
his master breathes, he fights. A yojimbo at this
rank can ignore all wound penalties (including
75
down, out, and dead) for a number of rounds
equal to his Earth as long as he fights to directly
defend his master and his master is still alive.
TOKU POLICE OFFICER [BUSHI]
During this time the Monkey also developed a
strong tie with the Hiruma family, as well as the
Bayushi. These ties enabled the Monkey Clan to
get hard data on the threats they needed to
assess, and during the war this unlikely trio
helped contain situations that otherwise may
have been the downfall of Rokugan. But the
War would also be the beginning of the end for
the noble duties of the Monkey and Clan bushi
were soon being given assignments far less than
their worth. Beset by a now laughable existence,
and coffers running low due to lessened Imperial
support the Monkey Clan was on the verge of
fading away.
Then a young Clan daimyo, Toku Yaro came up
with a bold plan to assist his clan. Brash and
pragmatic he began to market his bushi as hired
guns. Not exactly in the vein of mercenaries,
Yaro came up with a various marketing strategy.
His samurai were used to bolster home guards
and serve as yojimbo on an as needed basis. Soon
the Monkey Clan were also employed as armed
couriers and eventually branched out into
hunting bounties and investigating issues that
Imperial Magistrates would not handle, for
whatever reason. The reputation of efficiency
and professionalism of the Monkey Clan soon
built up into what is now Toku Security
Services, a corporation dedicated to safety,
whether it is the Empires as a whole or a small
businessman that needs help with local punks.
The vast majority of the details are low profile
security jobs, but every Clan and corporation
knows that when quality services of a secure
nature are needed, TSS is the answer.
 Benefit: +1 Stamina
Honor: 2,5
Skills: Battle, Defense, Driving,
Firearms, Investigation, Knowledge:
Law, any one Bugei skill
Outfit: Side Arm, Stun baton, Light or
Heavy Body Armor, Simple Clothing,
any 1 weapon, Travelling Pack, 2 Koku
TECHNIQUES
RANK 1: THE CALL OF DUTY
The bushi is dedicated to his assignment, and he
expects nothing but the best from himself.
Whenever making a bugei skill roll add your
Earth Ring to the final result.
RANK 2: FORCE OF WILL
By exerting his body and mind to the task at
hand, the bushi may be burned out fairly early.
Long nights patrolling or investigating can wear
down one’s mind body and soul. Also, there are
times when others wish to stop the Monkey from
completing his duty. At this Rank the bushi has
learned how to block out any distraction,
whether it be physical or emotional. Any
cooperative rolls made to interfere with his duty
have their TN raised by 10, and all cooperative
rolls made by the bushi to continue his duty
have their TN lowered by 10.
RANK 3: FOR THE EMPIRE
As long as you act according the Law, you don’t
lose any Honor for using a Low skill to resolve
an investigation. You can attempt Knowledge:
Law/Intelligence vs. the Status of your target X5
to deny the consequences of your duty.
RANK 4: TO PROTECT AND SERVE
You may make attacks unarmed or with Samurai
Fire Arm as a Simple Action instead of a
Complex Action.
RANK 5: ABOVE AND BEYOND
The fortunes and fate have a way of making sure
that even seemingly boring duties are eventful,
and while others may not be prepared for this,
the Monkey always is. By spending 2 Void Point
as a Simple Action, the Monkey may make an
additional Complex action that turn. This
action can be used for whatever the Monkey
wishes. Roll a separate initiative for this action.
USAGI GUNSLINGER [BUSHI]
Working closely with their long-standing good
relationship with the Akodo Acting School they
have developed a successful, albeit small school
of acting and dueling. Over the last hundred
years they have perfected their Technique to the
76
point it is at now. Some students of the school
have also gone on to become successful
yojimbos, lawmen and even actors. Many dies
perfecting their art. Those who follow school are
fast on their way to becoming the newest Stars
of the Action World, a fact that has not escaped
the Akodo School and has begun to cause some
tensions.
Benefit: +1Reflexes
Honor: 2,5
Skills: Acting, Athletics, Craft: Modern
Weaponsmith, Firearms, Driving,
Kenjutsu, any on Bugei or High skill.
Outfit: Daisho, Any Firearm, Light
Armor, Simple Clothing, any one
Weapon, Traveling Pack, 5 Kokus
TECHNIQUES
RANK 1: THE WAY OF THE GUN
At this rank you learned to move like the wind
and avoid getting hit. Add Air Ring Rank to
your TN-to-be-Hit. Also add Air Ring Rank to
all Damage rolls with Firearms.
RANK 2: BULLETS GUIDED BY THE KAMIS
You are trained to find weak points in your
targets and to make impossibly long-range shots.
Gains a number of Free raises equal to school
rank, for Firearms only. Each School Rank,
including this one, extends firearms range by
100'
RANK 3: AT HIGH NOON
You add your school rank to any Acting,
Intimidation or dueling-related rolls with a fire
gun.
RANK 4: DANCE OF DEATH
You learn the most famous cinematographic
technique, signature to the Usagi School, the
Two-fisted gun-shooting technique. You don’t
suffer any penalty for using two firearms
simultaneously. You may make attacks unarmed
or with Fire Arms as a Simple Action instead of
a Complex Action.
RANK 5: RAIN OF DEATH
By spending 1 point of Void, as a Complex
Action you can make an additional attack for
each weapon you are using. In other terms, with
a pistol in each hand they can fire twice per gun
or four times a round. Further, reloading is now a
free action.
 masters of radiant energy, and an elite group of
their priests has been trained to use the elements
in defense of their ships. The Fleetguard, as they
DAIDOJI MARINES
eventually come to be called, are often recruited
Since the Emerald Empire expanded out into the
from shugenja who would normally have joined
stars, the Crane Clan has changed perhaps the
the Elemental Guards, and receive much of their
least of all the Great Clans. The exception to
training directly from the clan’s Masters. The
this is the Daidoji family, which has seen the
Fleetguard are taught to call on the power of the
value in training Crane bushi in techniques of
elements to supercharge their vessels radiant
zero-g combat and boarding action. Every Crane
shields, allowing the Phoenix to fight on even
military vessel of significant size has a
terms with the more numerous ships of the other
detachment of Daidoji Marines aboard, and they
Great Clans.
often accompany Crane emissaries during
interplanetary travel. The versatile soldiers who
Rank: 3
came to be known as the Daidoji Marines are
Replaces: Isawa Shugenja 3
trained to fight in the weightless environment of
Requirements: All Rings at 3, Piloting 3
space and to conduct boarding actions against
enemy vessels, using the zero-g environment to
While on board a ship in space, you may expend
their advantage.
a non-Void spell slot as a Complex Action to
Rank: 3
enhance or create a barrier of radiant energy
Replaces: Doji Magistrate 3, Daidoji Iron
around the ship. This barrier lasts or enhances
Warrior 4
for 3 Rounds. While this technique is in effect,
Requirements: Jiujutsu 3, Zero-G Training
the ship has Reduction of +10 against any
physical attacks and Reduction of +25 against
You do not suffer any TN penalties for fighting
any radiant attacks. In addition, the barrier
in a weightless environment. If you are in the
obstructs personal firearms discharged at (or
Attack or Full Attack stance in a situation
from) the ship or anyone on the outside of its
where such a penalty would normally have
hull, replicating the effects of the spell
applied, you add a +Xk0 bonus to your melee
Summoning the Gale.
attack rolls, where X is equal to your Reflexes.
KAIU SHIPMASTER
DATE SWORDMAN All the Great Clans maintain fleets armored
The North Western cliffs of the Phoenix lands
with radiant shields, but the Crab’s ships are
bred centuries ago a rare and brutal variant of
engineered to defend not only against the
the Shiba school. The Date focused their efforts
weapons of other clans but against the creatures
on perfecting their mastery of the great No
of Jigoku, Toshigoku, and Gaki-do. After the
Dachi but also of the shorter variants.
discovery of planets influenced by these realms,
the Kaiu family was called upon to design and
Rank: 2
command a new generation of Crab Clan ships.
Replaces: Shiba Bushi 2
Based on the ancient methods of Kaiu Utsu and
Requirements: Kenjutsu 4, Strength 3
his son Kaiu Umasu, this technique continues to
serve the Crab thousands of years after its
Technique - The Sword of the Cliffs
development. The Kaiu Shipmasters learn how
No-Dachi and Parangu are now Samurai
to reinforce their clan’s ships against any sort of
weapons for you. Furthermore, you can spend
threat, whether it be from the Shadow Worlds or
Void points to raise the damage with a No-
from the fleets of other clans, using a mixture of
Dachi and Parangu as if it was a katana.
physical improvements and defensive tactics.
ISAWA FLEETGUARD Rank: 3
As the Phoenix Clan expanded into the stars, Replaces: Kaiu Engineer 3 or Kaiu Siege Master 1
they lacked the numbers of their fellow clans. Requirements: Battle 4, Piloting 5
The Phoenix could not keep up with the sheer
number of ships constructed by the other Great At the beginning of any space battle in which
Clans, and sought a magical means of keeping you are in command of a warship, you may make
the playing field level. In the year 2828, Isawa a Battle / Intelligence Skill Roll at TN 25 to
Kazuo discovered “radiant energy”, grant your ship a bonus Reduction value equal to
revolutionizing how nemuranai were understood. your Piloting Skill Rank x2. If the ship is a Kaiu-
Since then, all the Great Clans have equipped built ship, the bonus is equal to your Skill Rank
their vessels with radiant shields and cannons. x4 instead.
However, the Phoenix has always been the true
77
ROCKSEER Rank: 2 or 3
An advanced technique that finds her origins Replaces: Akodo Bushi 2, Kakita Bushi 2,
within the zokujin shamans. Rarely taught to Mirumoto Bushi 2, Suzume Bushi 3.
other species. Requirements: Agility 3, Reflexes 3, Kenjutsu 4.

Rank: 5 Technique - Cutting Flying Arrows

Replaces: Any shugenja rank 5 Technique
Requirements: Knowledge (Elements) 4
Special: You owe to the Zokujin who teach you
an Ally Advantage involving you.
A Rockseer is the equivalent of a shugenja,
except that every non-Earth spell they attempt
to cast has its target number raised by 10, and all
Earth spells have their TN reduced by 10 above
all affinities and deficiencies.
SAGARA ARCHER
The mighty archers of the Sagara Vassal family
once served the Shiba protecting Shiro No
Kozumi, a small castle not far from Nikesake and
the road to Lion lands. They developed
techniques for using archery exploiting the
particular link of the Shiba to Void they still
exploit today. Like most Rokugani, a Sagara
Archer does not aim, but he is just most
accustomed than others to wait for the right
moment with the bow down, then he abruptly
raises the weapon, pull the string and shoot. He
has nothing to envy to gunslingers.
Rank: 2
Replaces: Shiba Bushi 2
Requirements: Kyujutsu 4
Whenever you are hit by a missile or radiant
laser attack and you have an unsheathed sword
in your hand, you can immediately spend a Free
Action, even if it is not your own turn, to make
a Kenjutsu/Agility roll with a TN equal to the
attack roll which has just hit you.
A success means that you have intercepted the
projectile with your blade and you will not suffer
damage.
If you are performing a Guard Action you can do
the same for your charge.
You can use this technique with a sheathed
sword but only if you can draw it with a Free
Action and you will suffer a Forced Raise for no
effect.
This technique can be performed against larger
missiles (e.g. thrown spears) or smaller missiles
(e.g. Shuriken) but always suffering a Forced
Raise for no effect. This technique can be used a
number of times per Round equal to your Bushi
basic school Rank (including this path if it is
your first path, as per normal Core Rules p.246).
In effects this technique is an exception to the
“1 Free Action of the same type per round” usual
rule.

Technique - Focus and shoot

The sagara archer knows how to focus on his
own inner forces in order to shoot one but very
effective arrow.

If after a round spent in the center stance a

Sagara shoots an arrow he applies the normal
1k1+Void bonus to both attack and damage
rolls.

YADOMEJUTSU EXPERT
Cutting arrows in flight is a mighty feat but it is
also an art which requests time and efforts to
master. There are also a few Yojimbo who are
able to hit arrows directed at their charges with a
single sword movement, a characteristic which
makes them stand out from other warriors.
Similar techniques have been developed among
the best kenjutsu schools of the empire, but
warriors who totally dedicate themselves to
Yadomejutsu remain rare.

78

FRATERNITY OF SMOKE [BUSHI]
Those who become or are born Ronin often fall
into the orbit of criminal organizations, one such
group is the Fraternity of Smoke, a loose
network of extortionists, gamblers and other
hard men.
The Fraternity of Smoke is mobile, seeking
opportunities where they may and establishing
operations where they can.
The symbol of the fraternity is the kiseru, the
smoking pipe, which they can turn into a
weapon at a moment’s notice.
TECHNIQUE RANK: 1
Benefit: +1 Reflex
Skills: Defense, Jojutsu (Kiseru),
Kenjutsu, Games (any gambling),
Intimidation, any one Bushi skill, any
one low skill
Honor: 3.5
Outfit: Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Kiseru,
Traveling Pack, game of choice, 6 bu.
Technique: Smoke to Strike– A member of the
Fraternity of Smoke can use their kiseru (or a jo
staff) to disarm or feint at one less raise than
usual, they also gain a free raise when using a
kiseru or jo staff in combat. Lastly, the member
gains +1k0 when using Intimidation against
someone with a status of 0 or less.
SAKURA DANCER [ARTISAN]
Like the cherry blossoms from which they take
their name, the Sakura Dancers are elegant,
beautiful, and fleeting. They roam the whole of
the Empire, using their social connections to
remain aware of the greatest celebrations and
festivals, so that they can be sure to make an
appearance. Their skill at dance is well known
among all social ranks, from peasants to the
Emperor himself, and this reputation serves
them well, for even as ronin, the Sakura Dancers
are never without the funds to see them through
a winter... or five. Many pretend that they’re no
more than Scorpion and Cat clan agents in
disguise.
TECHNIQUE RANK: 1
Benefit: +1 Awareness
Skills: Athletics, Courtier, Etiquette,
Kenjutsu, Perform: Dancing,
Temptation, Any one High Skill.
Honor: 4.5
79
Outfit: Extravagant Dancers Clothing,
Wakizashi, Traveling Pack, 3 Koku.
Technique: Dance of Cherry Blossoms - When
you spend a Void Point to enhance a Social
Skill, you gain a bonus to your Skill Roll equal
to twice your Glory Rank.
SAIROU’S WOLVES [BUSHI]
The ronin Sairou has aggressive recruited and
drilled those ronin that follow her banner.
Sairou knows that ronin can rarely equal Clan
samurai in equipment or training, but they can
excel in dedication and superior application of
numbers.
Sairou’s Wolves excel in ambush and small unit
combat, she recognizes this and tries to avoid
contracts that would places her ronin in open
field battle.
TECHNIQUE RANK: 1
Benefit: +1 Stamina
Skills: Athletics, Battle, Kenjutsu,
Kyujutsu, Stealth, any one weapon skill,
any one skill
Honor: 3.5
Outfit: Ashigaru or Light Armor,
Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, any one
weapon, Traveling Pack, 1 koku.
Technique: Wolf Pack – The Wolves have
learned how to use their numbers to confuse and
out-maneuver their foes. When two ronin with
this technique attack the same target, they each
get +1k0 on their attack rolls, if there are three
ronin each also gains a +5 to their Armor TN
against the outnumbered target and if four or
more ronin are attacking the same target they
each add +1k0 to their damage.
Even if not working with other people with
knowledge of this technique, the Wolf can still
read the flow of battle well enough to gain these
bonuses but it requires twice as many allies to
trigger them (+1k0 to attack with two allies
against a foe, +5 to Armor TN with three allies,
and the damage bonus at six or more allies).
THE LEGION OF TWO THOUSAND
[BUSHI]
During the Destroyer War, a band of ronin
formed to help defend the Empire from the
invading forces of Kali-Ma. While they were
small in comparison to the armies of the Great
Clans, their efforts were significant. As a reward
for the bands service in the war, the Empress
folded their numbers into the Imperial Legions.
Although the Legion of Two Thousand no
longer exists, their Technique is preserved
within the ranks of the Imperial Legions and the
few ronin who chose to remain wandering
warriors.
TECHNIQUE RANK: 4
Replaces: Any ronin or Imperial Bushi
School Rank 4
Requirements: Battle 5 Ranks, any 2
Weapon Skills at Rank 3
Technique: Forward Unto Dawn - The Legion of
Two Thousand fought to defend the Empire,
even though no one gave them aid or
encouragement, because they knew it was their
duty. You may increase or decrease your dice
result when rolling on the Mass Combat Table
by your Honor Rank. You gain this same bonus
to any Skill rolls you make as part of a Heroic
Opportunity or Duel during Mass Combat.
80
THE STONE WOLVES [BUSHI]
When Fu Leng died, the power of Jigoku bored a
new hole into Ningen-do in the midst of the
Empire. To prevent the spread of Oni and other
Tainted creatures, the Crab Clan built a new
wall, encircling the newly formed Festering Pit.
With a new threat right at their back boors, the
other Clans of Rokugan finally acknowledged
the threat of the Shadowlands and the forces of
Jigoku, and sent contingents of their own
samurai to help guard this new wall. But they
were not the only ones with a vested interest in
seeing this wall defended. A ronin woman called
Hiushi gathered her family and a small band of
followers willing to give up their lives in defense
of their homeland. Together, they petitioned the
Crab Clan to allow them to take residence in
one of the small villages that exist inside the
wall itself. They were granted this opportunity,
with no one thinking they would amount to
much, but to the surprise of all who know of
their sacrifices, they have not only survived, but
thrived in their small community.
TECHNIQUE RANK: 1
Benefit: +1 Strength
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Heavy
Weapons, Kenjutsu, Lore (Oni), any
one Bugei Skill, any one Skill.
Honor: 3.5
Outfit: Tattered clothing, Light or
Heavy Armor, Daisho, any one Heavy
Weapon, traveling pack, 1 koku.
Technique: Stone Fangs- The Stone Wolves
were the very first line of defense between the
Festering Pit and the Empire, and they figure
that the best defense is a good offense. You may
wield any two-handed Heavy Weapon in one
hand without penalties. If you choose to dual
wield heavy weapons, you only suffer a -5 to
attacks made with either hand, rather than the
normal penalties for dual wielding. Additionally,
you may add your Insight Rank to your damage
total when attacking with a Heavy Weapon.

For players that want to use the clans from this
book, Court of the Minor Clans fan book and
others, here is a suggestion of what their
activities and purpose can be in these future
times. You’ll even find here new clans that
appeared later than you can develop by yourself.
The youngest major clan has the great
responsibility to keep the Yumeji News Network
working. It’s a very strong social advantage on
all other clans. The clan also guard the northern
frontier where they have a developed a very
strong ore processing industry.
+Access to mass media and information
+Strong industrialization gives them an access to
rare metals and raw minerals
+Good relations with the Brotherhood
-Resistant ships but limited in number.
-Territory far from the Core Worlds
Important Figures
Ichiro Nobushige is a strong and powerful man,
with a bold and loud personality. He is dedicated
to his duty and delights in the traditional
wrestling, drinking and fighting that the Crab
and Badger both traditionally enjoy.
However, despite his quite stereotypical nature,
two things make him better than the last few
Badger Clan Champions in the eyes of the other
Great Clans.
The first is he is actually aware of the
new situation his clan’s status as a major Clan
really is.
The second is he has artistic tendencies. This
interest in art has led to far more open relations
between the Badger and other Great Clans. A
recent tension however is slowly limiting his
options to don’t lead his clan to a conflict with
either the Scorpion or the Phoenix. Juggling the
honour and pride of the Phoenix and the
Scorpion’s belief that their actions are always
justified due to the intended end result has
indeed started to turn his hairs grey.
81
Ever the stalwart defenders against the
Shadowlands, much of their time is spent
holding the Kaiu Asteroid Belt at the edge of
colonized space. After the Festering Pit of Fu
Leng was closed, the Crab Clan endured a
spiritual crisis of sorts, having lost the primary
focus of its existence. Soon, however, the
children of Hida proved as pragmatic as ever,
reorganizing around two areas of focus.
First, with the growing importance of science
and technology, the Kaiu family became an
important part of Rokugan’s development, and
much greater resources were allocated to them in
order to expand their operations, in mining and
engineering particularly. The Crab are still
known for their bluntness and utter dedication
to their duty and have also developed many
mining and construction operations. They’re the
leaders in weapons and defense development and
their structural engineering and space frame
academy has no equal in the Empire. They use
more modern weaponry than any other clan, for
the Kaiu engineers are the greatest gunsmiths
and weapons engineers in the world.
Unfortunately, their dependence upon
technology has caused them to lose touch with
their spiritual traditions
Secondly, the opening of space exploration
revealed many planets inhabited by strange and
often hostile life-forms influenced by the more
dangerous Spirit Realms, occasionally including
Jigoku.
This gave renewed purpose to the Crab, who
took to the stars to fight against the most
dangerous and inhuman species, as well as
establishing gigantic mining and construction
operations for weapons and defense
development. Long used to hardship and
difficult conditions, the Crab adapted very well
to exploring strange new environments, and
became a force to be reckoned with in the
Empire of Emerald Stars.
The Toritaka still specializes into spirit and
ghost hunting but also into alien non-corporeal
life forms studies and contacts. So, they are
sometimes called “ghostbusters”. They maintain
facilities across the Empire and their central
organization is located on the Falcon’s Nest.
The most secrete purpose of the Crab clan is the
defense against foreign aliens, especially the
Scarabs. They guard the southern frontier of the
Imperial Star Empire. Still defenders of the
Empire, they are among the few who still
consider the minions of the Shadowlands a
serious threat. They know that what happened
with Fu Leng can happen again even now. They
continue to scour all of Rokugan for signs of the
taint.
+ Strong engineering and mercantile focus,
leading to high Prosperity.
+ The best, bar none, at defensive warfare and
fortifications.
+ Particularly good at overcoming supernatural
challenges through martial might.
- Low mobility forces, will frequently be
outmaneuvered.
- Boorish demeanor makes courtly goals difficult
to achieve.
- Territory tends to be horrifically dangerous in
some fashion.
Important Figures
Hida Tsuneko is the current clan champion of
the Crab. A strong-willed woman forged on the
battles of Hida Prime, she is surprisingly well
educated for a Crab and a very quick learner.
She has spent at least 2 years with every Crab
family after her Gempukku and thus understands
their strengths and weaknesses better than most
clan champions would.
However, while her training and
knowledge could make her a very competent
rear general, and few would think less of her for
employing her skills in that manner, she favours
being in the thick of battle, trusting her
subordinates to make any adoptions to the plan
while she deals with the foe more personally.
It is her education in fact that means her doubt
the Emperor’s word. She has told only those she
trusts most...but the idea that the Day of
Thunder is cancelled?
“I refuse to believe the enemy our
ancestors spent 3,000 years fighting, who have
been planning this moment since the War of 14
Thunders ended, would fail so easily.”
Kuni Shitatsu is the Kuni Daimyo and despite
his recent rise to power following the death of
his father aboard the lost Katana Class cruiser,
he is adapting quickly to his role. The man is
efficient, brutally so, rarely caring who gets
crushed under his endless pursuit of Jigoku and
that was before his father died.
However more unsettling is Shitatsu’s seemingly
unending joy in the pursuit of his duty. The
Kuni are supposed to be cold, distant and
enigmatic. Shitatsu’s joy has led to more than
one accusation he is perhaps mentally unwell.
82
The sons and daughters of Doji have taken to
the stars, but not in the same numbers as their
rivals. They are, as they always were, the symbols
of grace excellence in Rokugan. Now, more than
ever, the Cranes make good use of diplomacy
and favor mongering to give themselves wealth,
status and power in this empire that's more than
ten times as big as that of their ancestors. Of all
the clans, the Crane probably retain the greatest
influence on Rokugan proper, staying close to
the seat of power and letting other clans get the
larger share of new land and new worlds while
the Crane fill the void they are gradually leaving
behind. This is not to say they have not explored
space at all; they simply have done so more
carefully and to a more modest extant.
The Crane maintains is superiority over the arts
and entertainment across the Empire. They’re
with the Miya journalists, the main users of the
Yumeji News Network.
Most of the bureaucrats of the Crane clan are
still well concerned with the Empire intern
politics, diplomacy and regulation of the
commerce and economics.
The Crane are also the first to develop a real
tourism industry, a natural outgrowth of their
splendid palaces and beautiful lands; they have
seized some of the most beautiful (and safe)
worlds in the galaxy, where they build extensive
resorts. While more warlike clans like the Crab
and the Lion still mock the Crane for their
‘softer’ ways, the truth is everybody appreciates a
beautiful sunset on a tropical beach, a concert
from a popular band, or a delicious exotic drink,
so the Crane still command a lot of power –
albeit of a subtle kind.
Those who believe the Crane are truly weak can
be in for a surprise, since the Daidoji still provide
the Crane with their military defenses and have
become quite skilled in precision ship-to-ship
boarding actions.
+ Provinces are highly developed and well
protected
+ Very strong social influence, leading to easier
and more effective court-based rolls
+ Exceptionally wealthy
- Limited 'overt' power, Units tend to be smaller
and more specialized.
- Limited room for expansion due to nearby
territories already being claimed.
- Heavily bound by tradition and Imperial
command.
Important Figures
Doji Aishi is the Great Aunt of the previous
Doji Daimyo and until the current Clan
Champion comes of age leads the Crane Clan.
An aged and calm woman she puts the best
effort that she can to see that Doji Fuyuhisa
becomes the wisest Clan champion possible.
However, she was not about the miss the
opportunities the last Winter Court possessed
and thus was one of the largest supporters for the
Mantis’ petition for trade.
Doji Fuyuhisa is largely unknown by most of the
Empire, however those of the Crane know he is
a quiet and contemplative child and while he
may take a while to respond to a situation, once
he does react, he moves quickly and efficiently.
He is no visionary, which has some worried
given the large shadow the last four generations
of the Crane Clan Champions left as they rebuilt
the clan.
Oddly he is arranged to marry a Ronin,
a highly skilled duelist that goes by the name
Tora. How this marriage agreement was made, or
even why is unknown to essentially everyone if
only due to how much effort the Doji have gone
to make sure Fuyuhisa’s life remains relatively
calm...at least till his Gempukku.
Daidoji Mitsuhisa is considered to be the oldest
man in the Empire of Emerald Stars and should
have long since retired. This follows a recent
trend among the Daidoji Daimyoship for long
lived and late retiring leaders. Some suspect they
are cursed.... others that this is a sign of some
sort of blessing from Lady Doji in return for
becoming what they used to be once more. The
truth is a little more complicated and a secret
only to the Daidoji daimyo.
Regardless, a man does not reach such
an age without becoming calm and wise, and
Mitsuhisa was a tactical genius at a young age.
Unfortunately, he is also known, despite his age
and wisdom, to have quite a reputation when it
comes to visiting the Geisha and....lesser forms
of entertainment. Thus, despite the other Crane
Daimyo’s seeking his wisdom, his presence in
court circles is non-existent to safeguard the clan
from his less honorable habits.
83
The Dragon has always been known for its
seeking Enlightenment, and the generations
spent in space haven't changed that. Again they
have situated themselves at the very edge of
colonized space, practically living in peaceful
seclusion where they may bask in the mysteries
of the universe undisturbed. The few monks of
theirs that do wander around colonized space are
even more awe-inspiring than the monks of the
olden days for though the kami are difficult at
best when it comes to the empire's shugenja and
their spellcasting, the monks of Rokugan seem to
have no trouble at all manipulating the elements
through their kiho in the void of outer space. As
for the Mirumoto family, their rivalry with the
Kakita seems to have all but died down for they
spend more time guarding the Dragon's borders.
More internal Dragons are still concerned with
mysticism and personal development Having
long lost the guidance of the Kami Togashi, the
Dragon in the Empire of the Emerald Stars have
managed to prosper, unshaken by the
developments of technology and content in their
faith in both the Tao and the Hantei dynasty.
They still maintain a close relationship with the
Throne and are the favored vassals when a
dangerous duty can be trusted to no one else.
The Dragon is still as mysterious as it was before
and maintains a great interest for mysteries.
They are devoted to strange planet and space
exploration with a particular interest for the
western nebula. The strangest and most
mysterious of the early planets were often
conquered by the Dragon or even directly
allocated to them by Imperial order. Many of
these worlds are off-limits to the other clans,
leading to many discussions of what secrets they
may hold; however, the fleets of the Mirumoto
are powerful and well-armed. These worlds
certainly do not hold many resources, since the
Dragon remain one of the poorest clans of the
Empire, heavily depending on Imperial subsidies.
+ Favored servants of the Throne, protected
from many negative consequences by Imperial
patronage.
+ Long term relationship with the Brotherhood
of Shinsei gives you great spiritual influence.
+ Characters tend to be better-rounded, and can
perform tasks outside of their set roles.
- Provinces hold limited resources
- Find it difficult to exert non-spiritual influence
due to unconventional attitudes.
- Officially appointed duties are less flexible than
those of many other Clans.
Important Figures
The Dragon Clan Champion is not a hereditary
position. In honoring the words of Togashi that
led to the initial choice of Togashi Satsu and
then Satsu’s choice that led to Mirumoto Kei
leading the Dragon, plus the slowly decreasing
wisdom his grandchildren and great-
grandchildren had during the Yodatai Wars has
left the Dragon slightly more democratic.
The Dragon family Daimyo’s choose the
Clan Champion from among their number,
reflecting the direction the Dragon feel it must
go over the next generation. This has usually led
to a Togashi monk being chosen regardless, but
all the Dragon families have led the Dragon at
one stage or another.
Currently Togashi Ando leads the
Clan. A small and old man, he is more involved
in the courts then most Togashi would be. Not
directly in the courts mind you, but when you
wish to talk to him, it is not uncommon to find
him meditating on your home world, waiting for
you to find him. Some have even reported seeing
Ando in two places at once.
His enigmatic ability to seemingly appear where
he thinks he is needed is matched by his mind.
More than once it has been suggested that he
may suffer from some sort of enlightened
madness, but if so, his eccentricities and
enigmatic actions have done nothing but guide
the Dragon well, at least until recently.
Kitsuki Nikako is the current Daimyo of the
Kitsuki family, named after part of famous
magistrate duo and love story from the 13th
Century. A smart woman, and an extremely
talented investigator, even by the standards of
her own clan, she has allies and connections in
every clan. While some say it was intentional,
and that she trying to build a network of allies
and obligations to empower the Dragon in the
Courts, to make up for the Kitsuki’s traditional
lacking power in that area....
The truth is more that see feels like she
has a hole in her heart... she sought out her
many allies and friends to find someone who
likes her for her, who is willing to see past who
she is, and past the fear some have of her talents,
but her duty and skills keep people nervous.
She has had some results in this regard and her
large circle of friends has helped this a little,
meaning she keeps up correspondence with the
Samurai-ko who see past her position and talent,
and see her as she wants to be seen.
But up till now she has yet to know the blessing
of Benten.
84
Expanding the reach of Rokugan to the stars also
expanded the need for military protection of its
assets and citizens. The Empire of the Emerald
Stars is far from safe, given clan rivalries, pirates,
and innumerable strange creatures on alien
worlds. In response they have been even more
devoted to instilling the values of Bushido in the
hearts of their clansmen and in the Emerald
Empire, for the Lion believe that as the primary
practitoners of Bushido they practically hold the
keystone of Rokugani culture in their hands. In
preparation for the day that the empire might
have its vengeance on the Shadowlands, the
Lion's military training has more than tripled in
its intensity and a direct result of this training is
the Lion's greatest tactical advantage on the
interstellar battlefield: Rokugan's most powerful
and stable communications equipment.
For the Lion this has often meant war on a
heretofore unknown scale, and they would not
have it any other way. The Lion is still the
strongest clan about military. It maintains the
largest space fleet deployment across the Empire.
They have the greatest ship manufacturing and
repair systems but lacks sometimes of resources
because of the large armies they have to
maintain. They also excel in personal weapons
development.
But more than any other clan, the Lion have
had difficulty adapting over the centuries to the
changes in society and technology, their
traditional warrior mindset chafing at every new
idea or disruptive invention. But the exploration
of the galaxy has given them renewed purpose,
and the other clans were surprised at how
aggressively the Lion took to settling on new
planets. They’re always ready to deploy their
troop to conquest a new world inhabited by
aggressive aliens and to study their tactics to
circumvent them.
It heralded a new era for the Lion, a time of
glorious battles between the stars and across the
surfaces of whole planets. In fact, the Lion are so
busy fighting enemies of the Empire on various
systems that they are no longer as aggressive
toward the other clans as they often were in the
past. Still, friction happens, and when it does
the vast, near-endless fleets of the Lion answer.
+ Largest, most skilled and adaptable military of
all the Great Clans
+ At the forefront of any Imperially-mandated
conquests, this is the easiest way to secure new
territory.
+ Units tend to have very high Honor scores,
- Peaceful diplomatic efforts are difficult at best,
sometimes nigh-impossible.
- Hidebound and traditional, making it much
harder to introduce entirely new ways of doing
things.
- Characters more likely to commit seppuku
upon failure.
Important Figures
Akodo Tsuroi is the current Lion Clan
Champion, and a direct descendant of Akodo
One Eye and considered one of the greatest
generals alive. Only perhaps the ancient Daidoji
general is his superior and that’s due to having
almost 70 years additional experience. He is a
highly traditional figure among the Lion and has
inspired loyalty in his soldiers far beyond what
simply Bushido requires. He spent years fighting
many an alien threat and when the battle with
the aliens who serve Jigoku occurred he was
second only to the Emerald Champion in
authority. Artist, Scholar, and General, he is
considered by many to be one of the best
examples of an Akodo War College in the last
Century.
Unfortunately, he finds himself unable
to contain the anger, righteous as it maybe, of
the Matsu Daimyo. While he considers himself
well learned and cultured, he has difficulties
understanding the fact that the Matsu continue
to harass the Mantis over an insult that
happened almost 300 years ago, and that the
Lion had already proven Victory in.
That the Mantis and the Otomo would continue
to antagonize the Matsu he would admit didn’t
help, but surely bushido demanded that they be
the better Samurai, be courteous, and loyal to
the commands of the Emperor and be satisfied
with the victory against the insult already.
However, the Dragon’s insult to the Lion, that
he cannot abide. His duty is clear, he won’t let
any clan stand in the way of his duty to deal
with Threats to the Empire. The Dragon would
subjugate the Gaijin, make them bow and serve
as slaves, or die, and if they failed to do that, the
Lion would take the planet from them and do it
for them.
Ikoma Shabiko is the current Ikoma Daimyo and
one of the most renown historians in the
Empire. He had an interest in history from a
young age and like his family founder has a
slightly strange sense of humor, as shown by his
name.
85
The age of space exploration is, in many ways,
the age of the Mantis. With the open space to
discover, the Mantis has retrieved his lust for
exploration, conquest and also piracy. They
firmly believe that the entire empire owes them
a debt of gratitude. Unfortunately, the rest of
Rokugan never quite got around to repaying that
debt -- the years following the empire's exodus
into the stars saw everyone else focusing more on
establishing their own holdings than thanking
the Mantis for keeping Rokugan Prime safe. The
clan’s audacity, resourcefulness, and economic
acumen ensured it was among the first to explore
the galaxy and reap the profits of doing so. The
Mantis Clan’s initial strategy was simple: race to
a new system, establish a base regardless of initial
appeal, and then defend it tooth and nail. This
proved effective, if costly – the Mantis control
more systems than any other Great Clan, many
of them of little value but others with numerous
planets and resources to be exploited. The
Mantis economy reaches into almost every
market, but is most famous for rare and exotic
materials and goods. The space is very great still
full of treasures to discover and the mantis is
hoping to exploit them first hand. They also
maintain a strong connection with astrogation
maps trying to keep them as acute as possible.
The Tsuruchi family tries to find ways to attain
enemies before they could reach the Star
Empire. They specialize in remote and long-
range combat and develop new firearms. They
also maintain the most efficient Bounty Hunter
Guild of the empire.
After the discovery of other suns, the Moshi
Family convinced that all of them were
manifestations of the original Amaterasu. They
especially devoted themselves to astrophysics
studies but also to philosophical applications of
it. They hold the Centipede University on
Amaterasu’s Wisdom moon.
The Kitsune family still encompasses is original
passion for cataloging and studying all animal
and plant-based life form, especially emanating
from Chikushudo. They are among the finest
geneticists and biologists of the Empire,
sometimes trying to restore disappeared species
or to adapt them to the survival conditions of a
new environment.
+ Extremely wealthy, with high prosperity.
+ Large territory with lots of room for expansion.
+ Most powerful and numerous fleet units of all
the Great Clans.
- Existing territories are often under-developed
- Position on the frontier makes hostile
encounters from non-human forces much more
likely
- Legacy of piracy and 'mongrel blood' imposes
diplomatic penalties.
Important Figures
Kitsune Jinong is the Daimyo of the Kitsune
family and in many respects, single handily
started up the tension between the Lion and the
Mantis once more. A proud, perhaps even
arrogant man, often accused of being outspoken
and contrary, Jinong does however care greatly
for the animals and animal spirits. Sadly, his
compassion for them has likely dragged the
Mantis to war in which they can gain nothing.
Yoritomo Osu is a ship captain, a pirate,
a rogue, and a scoundrel. Why he was chosen to
be the Yoritomo Daimyo, by his own admission,
he isn’t sure of himself. His kind aren’t supposed
to be the public face of the clan, they are
supposed to be the ones disavowed and shamed.
Despite this, he is brave and dutiful and is as
comfortable in deep space as he is in a bar.
While he lacks the training that makes a true
general and master of warfare, he seems to be
favored by the Fortunes, for he has caught more
lucky breaks in his life then he truly deserves
The role of the Owl clan in the Empire of
Emerald Stars is to monitor and enforces all non-
shadowlands related alien activity while also
reminding Rokugan of it's past. Since alien races
are beings from the other realms the Owl clan
has also developed an affinity for them. They are
the Emperors first contact clan and also help to
mediate the disputes of the native life on the
worlds that they encounter.
+Access to alien technology and contacts
+At the forefront of any Imperially-mandated
mediations.
+Good relations with most of the Spirit Realms
- Find it difficult to exert non-spiritual influence
due to unconventional attitudes.
86
Space exploration only became possible through
the efforts of the Phoenix Clan, who not only
pioneered the ritual which allows faster-than-
light travel but also discovered radiant energy
and many other forms of technology which
combine esoteric knowledge with mundane
aspects.
Being the most religious among the Great Clans,
they were the first to discover a startling fact:
when in the void of space away from a planet's
gravitational pull, the kami have difficulties to
respond to prayers. Since the kami have been
the foundation of the Phoenix way as far back as
any would recall, the Phoenix managed to
develop technology that would allow shugenja to
cast their spells in space. As a result of this, the
Phoenix have grown significantly more powerful
due to the fact that they practically regulate
spellcasting within colonized space.
So, the Phoenix has a lot to do with
technological and magical research and
development. Their interest for knowledge and
science decupled with the conquest of the stars
and they have many scientists and scholars
among them. They’re nearly always at the most
upper level of development but have still no
great interest in wars and conflicts.
While Phoenix Clan samurai are not the richest
or the most numerous, their equipment is quite
often the best, and this gives them an edge in
many confrontations. Their technical wizardry is
symbolized by the legions of Phoenix gyrocopters
regularly seen patrolling the large cities of
Rokugan. It was also the Phoenix who sealed the
Festering Pit on Rokugan, and now it is the
Phoenix who work to see that the seal is
maintained.
True to their nature, the Phoenix try to
approach both alien animals and the far rarer
sentient beings as peacefully as possible, assisted
by the extensive use of magic. When peace fails,
the Shiba step in with their small but powerful
fleet and army, able to use radiant energy as a
hammer or a scalpel depending on the need. The
Phoenix seem content with exploring the galaxy
and further advancing their technological and
magical prowess for the good of their vassals
Their pacifistic views combined with the other
Great Clan's debts to them in matters of religion
are among the major reasons that Rokugan
manages to stay stable in its current state.
+ Most technologically advanced of all the
Great Clans
+ Greatest proportion of Shugenja in the
empire, leading to vastly increased magical
might.
+ Still have the control over magic.
+ Provinces tend to be very well developed.
- Smallest of the Great Clans, in both
population and territory.
- Pacifistic nature makes aggressive military
ventures much harder.
-Clan Champion has less direct authority.
Important Figures
The Elemental Masters remain an ever-
important part of Phoenix society, and with the
Clan Champion often in seclusion, their power
has only grown in recent years. The current
Masters are.
Master of Air: Chiba Su-Yeon The First
Elemental Master from the Shiba family, she was
a controversial choice. Often described as
flighty, and not entirely shedding the dishonor
that comes with her family name, Su-Yeon’s
appearance changes regularly due to her skill
with illusions. Despite all this she has a keen
intellect, and is surprisingly insightful, the
natural intuition of air coming easily to her.
Master of Earth: Isawa Yeong is the
master of Earth and oldest member of the
Council. A rather emotionless man with the
patience of the element that is his title, there are
many who say he is on a quest of
enlightenment...and others say he is already
there. Regardless, while his wisdom is rare at the
council it’s always heeded.
Master of Fire: Isawa Haneul is best
described as energetic, and regularly trains kata
and other skills traditional of a Bushi, trying to
focus the passion of fire out in other ways. This
has been largely unsuccessful, but he lacks any
sort of temper. Instead Haneul has a habit of
falling deeply in love, and creating beautiful
music for his love....and then his passion burns
out and he moves on, unaware of the string of
broken hearts he leaves behind.
Master of Water: Isawa Suk-Ja is a
natural born seer, gifted with prophecy. Her
studies with Water kami and in the Kawaru Sage
School have had some rewards, but she is
cautious to act, recognising that by acting she
will change what she saw. When she does
however, it always seems like a single touch, but
87
the ripples from her actions quickly become
waves.
Despite her hesitance to act in most cases, out of
the current Elemental Masters she is the most
likely to call upon the Elemental guard, knowing
exactly when only the force of the Tsunami
Legion will advance the future she wishes to see.
Master of Void: Shiba Shou is Shiba
Aikune reborn, and when that was first
determined, many were confused as to how he
could be such a powerful Void Shugenja. It was
the previous Master of Void who determined the
answer.
The Last Wish still continues to fill the
hole in his soul where the Soul of Shiba was
meant to go. Instead of joining the Shiba
Daimyo’s, ever guiding the current Clan
Champion, Shou and the last Wish are
connected forever, the part of the Wish that
bonded with him, still a part of him, still
whispering to him.
This gives Shou incredible power.... but also
makes him think differently from most
Shugenja, let alone most Samurai. Ever cautious
to act, and seeing the world entirely differently
from anyone else a great many are unsure how
long he will live or if he even counts as human
or a spirit.
Shiba Sachihiro is the Clan Champion of the
Phonix. Like most Shiba of the last 200 years, he
is partially trained by the Hinshin to handle the
strain and maintain the focus required to be
advised by three millennium of predecessors.
Having taken to this rather well, he is the most
public clan Champion the Phoenix has had in a
century.
Still, he rarely leaves Phoenix lands, only doing
so when it is connected to the Emperor himself,
and even among the Phoenix his appearances
are always private. A focused and somewhat
blunt man, it is not that he lacks wisdom or the
desire for enlightenment...but living with so
many voices who contradict each other at times,
as wise as they are....gives him less patience to
deal with proper propriety or discussions that the
ancestors connected to him have already had in
his mind.

Still the keepers of the empire's secrets, the
Scorpion are about as mistrusted as they have
always been...perhaps even moreso
The Scorpion has embraced the modern world
like no one else. As concepts such as honor and
bushido seem to become more and more
outdated, the Scorpion become more and more
the norm. The Lion struggle to adjust. The
Crane argue amongst themselves that they will
not adjust. The Scorpion has already adjusted.
Though most perceive their clan as nothing
more than base criminals and gangsters, this is
merely the facade that the Scorpions wish the
world to see. In the service of their beloved
Emperor, they have become the most pervasive
and sinister intelligence organization in the
world and maintains the Imperial Intelligence
Bureau, the best organization for collecting
information and spying. The key to the Scorpion
information network is the fact that none of the
other Great Clans know that they are fully
capable of space travel on their own (Scorpion
ambassadors are known to 'hitch rides' on the
transports of other clans), thanks to their stealth
technology.
Rokugan's great lights blaze brighter than ever
before, but so too does its shadows lengthen.
Crime and the underworld have expanded to
levels unheard of in previous years, and the
Scorpion have expanded with them. Wielding
the power and influence of a Great Clan, the
Scorpion have infiltrated, co-opted or outright
absorbed a vast majority of Rokugan's
underworld, and that gives them great power
indeed.
They also developed the Empire Internal
Security preventing any other clan to complot
against the imperial throne. The Scorpion has
also the best cloaking devices technology and
maintains the most of listening outposts of the
Empire. At least, they produce and monitor the
use of all chemical industry, including drugs and
poisons
Although apparently lacking in obvious
strength, the Scorpion remain the masters of
unconventional warfare, both on the battlefield
and in the courts. Few are willing to be their
friends, but fewer still are their enemies, and that
is as it should be.
+ Exceptional underworld ties bring great wealth
and covert influence
+ Unparalleled stealth technology expands all
the way up to invisible battle-cruisers.
88
+ Highly skilled at assassinating or ruining the
characters of other Clans.
- Dishonorable nature brings few friends
- Limited ability to leverage direct military force.
- Criminal influence is not entirely one way...
Important Figures
Bayushi Mineko is the Scorpion Clan
Champion. A beautiful woman with a seemingly
unending supply of patience, Mineko is also
considered quite vindictive, famously believed to
have completely destroyed an Otomo Courtier
politically, five years after losing a game of
stones to the man.
Of course, other rumors say this was
completely by accident, and she hasn’t the
finesse to do such a thing, that her patience is
actually hesitation.
And further rumors say it was a plot to weaken
the Otomo politically, and it had nothing to do
with the game of Stones.
Those who know her best recognize it
was all of these, and none of them. Trained with
the Shosuro as well as her own family, Mineko’s
disguises are not her appearance, but her true
nature, augmenting the acting skills she has,
with the ability to spread rumours the Bayushi
possess, made 6 different women all with the
name Bayushi Mineko.
Her only concern is, deep down, she
doesn’t even know which one herself is the real
her...and that could one day lead her into
trouble. She knows what she isn’t.... but what
she is, that’s harder.
Yogo Mikiko is the current Yogo Daimyo. A
surprisingly vibrant young woman who triggered
her curse very early in life, she sees the loss of
the Phoenix as a chance to give the Yogo a true
purpose, rather than just warders and hunters of
darkness.
After all, was there not to this day,
Yogo researching their Curse? Do they still not
develop magical wards unlike any in the Empire?
With the Phoenix no longer gifting Scorpion
technology in return for court and military
support, surely this was a chance for the Yogo to
expand their horizons, and truly begin to follow
the path that Yogo and Asako walked, the path
that allowed Yogo to rip down the wards of the
Castle of Murder in the first place.
Of course, there was a risk if they fell in
love with their research, they would harm it, and
by extension the Clan, however Mikiko believes
that there are ways around it. Yogo had loved
their duty before and still served the Scorpion
for three Millennium now.

The Spider have long accepted that they will
never truly be part of the Empire. Despite all
they have changed, despite the fact they no
longer are in lockstep with Jigoku, no matter
that they were critical in defending the Empire,
just as all past clans were...
They are not a clan of Tengoku. And
this will never change. Fu Leng, or even
Diagotsu, no matter how many hundreds of
times they are reborn, will never set foot in
Tengoku without facing the wrath of heaven.
Even their allies the Mantis have someone
watching out from them above...the Spider only
have people watching from below.
However, the Empire means their
children are free of Taint...means they will live a
meaningful existence, no matter what code of
honour they chose to follow...and at this point,
the man who founded them, Diagotsu, has made
it clear that he considers their actions they
turned towards Gaki-do and Toshigoku betrayal.
Serving the Empire allows them to get a measure
of revenge on the god that turned their back on
them.
Besides, the Spider enjoys what they do.
Be it developing unconventional weapons,
committing genocide against primitives or
fighting the monsters of the Spirit Realms, and
at times learning from them, the Spider have
learned their place in the Empire and loyally
commit to it.
In many ways they are more a
perversion of Bushido then they were in the
12th Century, because just as the Spider
corrupted the Empire with Shourido, so too did
the Empire ‘corrupt’ the Spider in turn, teaching
the monsters a version of honor, a semblance of
duty, a concept of loyalty. And yet, they don’t
quite get it, seeing it all through the lens of
conflict, of the dark realms that they study and
use, and twisted by their less than human
thought process at times.
Recent events are not exactly in their
favor but neither are they truly opposed to
them....the Crane’s growth is worrying, but the
Otomo long stopped being the allies of the
Spider, and the Scorpion don’t trust them...the
Crane would be fine allies in the courts, if they
will let it happen. And they recently agreed to
share a world; the Susumu see a potential olive
branch, but at least this past winter court
anything more formal has stalled.
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And on the battlefield, they got to fight against
and aid in the destruction of a dark beast of
Jigoku, a wound they hope will fester in
Daigotsu’s dark heart.
Cut off from any direct resource, the
clan does not hesitate to use bioenergy as a
source of food, ravaging everything that lives in
a process of total zombification. It specializes
into retro and bioengineering and still continues
to use and develop Tainted devices, techniques
and maho magic” for the glory of the Empire”.
But it is only a matter of time before the Spider
Clan members will target all the other Clans on
a total war…
Thus, while the Spider remain one of
the smallest of Great Clans. It’s only an illusion
as they are also among the more powerful. Some
of them have gone a little too far towards the use
of maho and have become really undead. The
most common of them and the less powerful are
called by the generic term "ghosts". They are no
more than simple envelopes of the flesh and
technology virtually devoid of any soul and
therefore of any moral sense.
Important Figures
The Spider Clan is totally under the control of a
furious fool as rich as a megalomaniac daimyo:
Daigotsu Scorpio who seeks a way to achieve
immortality. It is secretly and slowly developing
an army not hesitating to recover the corpses of
the other clans and aliens in order to make them
soldiers at low prices.
Susumu Tirue is the current Diamyo of the
Susumu family. Claimed by some to be the
reborn soul of the Susumu Kuroko, Tirue long
discarded such beliefs as foolish. Kuroko had
done so much in her life, had achieved true
greatness and reshaped the Susumu family.
Still, being told such things her entire
life has affected Tirue. While any would be
foolish to underestimate her skills as a Susumu
Courtier, especially since she was also trained in
the Bayushi Courtier School as well as her
family’s school, there is a clear pride to her. She
is used to being the best at what she does,
manipulating minds, thoughts and feelings more
easily than any beautiful Geisha or Air
Shugenja. This Hubris has caught her upon
occasion, and when her control does slip, the
skilled courtier has been known to ruin her own
plans to get revenge on the person who saw such
weakness.
But such times are rare, and she is
considered by many to be a Paragon of
Determination.

After 1200 years, the Unicorn are no longer the
outsider barbarians they once were considered by
most of Rokugan. They have adjusted well,
combining their knowledge of the gaijin with
the new traditions of Rokugan. Much like when
they first returned to the Empire in the early
ninth century, their culture in the fourth
millennium is a mix of the domestic and the
foreign; where once a traditionalist might have
been disgusted at a Unicorn samurai wearing fur,
now he must also wonder what kind of creatures
the fur could have come from.
The infinity of space waked up the deepest
instinct of the Unicorn for deep space and
longtime exploration. From their travels to many
exotic places the Unicorn returned with
technology beyond that of any other clan: most
notable of these would be their revolutionizing
zero-gravity combat. They sponsored the
relocation of the last gaijin nations from
Rokugan to their own worlds, and maintain
extensive contact with them. They’re always
interest to develop exchange with alien cultures,
and maintain contact with them.
The Unicorn are one of the few clans (along
with the Phoenix) who first try communication
with alien cultures, resorting to violence only
when that fails. They are highly utilized as
diplomats and ambassadors in relations with
foreign nations.
Exploration is what the Unicorn have always
done, and after the Empire of Rokugan extended
to cover the whole planet they were eagerly
waiting for some new frontier to seek. The idea
of exploring entire star systems could not help
but attract them, especially coupled with their
love for speed and travel, and the Unicorn were
among the first in the race to the stars. At the
dawn of the fourth millennium they maintain
only a token presence on Rokugan itself, the
vast majority of the clan having resettled on
other planets or being permanently on the move.
Unicorns are the best for taming new alien
animals and plants. Unicorn Transportation is
renowned into all the Empire as the best for
material shipping and personal transport.
+ Finest pilots among all the Great Clans
provides highly mobile armies.
+ Extensive contact with non-Rokugani
elements provides unconventional resources and
influence.
+ Possess mobile Provinces in the form of
nomadic fleets
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- Limited social influence within Rokugan,
especially close to the center of power
- Exploring the galaxy is a dangerous job...
- Highly disadvantaged in a defensive war.
Important Figures
Moto Cheluhui is the current Khan and Clan
Champion of the Unicorn. A prominent fighter,
both with the Scimitar and star ship, Cheluhui
has often been described as a little to Brash for
the courtly role that a Clan Champion demands,
and at times has been accused of having a
complete lack of appreciation for Rokugani
culture, preferring the artwork of those who once
lived in the Jewel of the Desert.
He is also huge...one of the largest men in the
Empire, and would be considered large even
among the Hida.
However, he is loved by the people,
both Samurai and heimin alike, and in a way
that makes his current single status so odd. He is
approaching 30 and still remains unmarried, and
heirless, despite the best efforts of the Ide to fix
this. It is considered very likely that the children
of his brother will lead the Unicorn after him,
and rumours persist that he is completely
asexual.
Ide Lobsang is the current Daimyo of
the Ide family. Born blind, his parents made the
rather rash decision to have the Kuni restore his
sight. While the operation was a complete
success it led to horrific scaring around his eyes,
and devices that replaced his eyes were a
disturbing black colour, with spots of orange,
white and dark blue that constantly seem to
move, grow, shrink and combine in an
unpredictable, unsettling and distracting
manner.
Despite his disfigurement, Lobsang still became a
courtier and few would fail to guess his Ide
training, for he is courtly, diplomatic and calm,
with an almost never-ending good will to
anyone he meets, be they samurai, heimin, gaijin
or alien. He often wears a mesh purple veil to
negotiations, not out of shame but
understanding that people find his eyes
unnatural.
However recently it has been suggested
that the kami in his eyes are far more active than
they would normally be in such devices, and that
he perhaps can hear them, which explains his
uncanny ability to guess the thoughts and
feelings of others, no matter how well they hide
it. If that’s the case, he quite possibly knows
more secrets than anyone else in the Empire,
although his dedication to the ideals of the Ide
founder means he is unlikely to ever speak of
them.

With the Empire developing so far, the Imperial
families have never been so important to
maintain the Empire bureaucracy and leadership.
They’re still devoted to serve the Emperor
himself and also run the most of the facilities of
the capital planet Rokugan. The Imperial
Families have grown quite powerful in recent
years, due to the ever-increasing size of Imperial
Bureaucracy. Efforts have been made to weaken
the Otomo by splitting the family into parts, but
the power of the Otomo and its alliance with the
Susumu and then more recently the weakened
Crane has all but made such a thing impossible.
It’s likely that history will turn against the
Otomo in the long run, however.
For now however, they are on top of the
mountain, basking in their ability to control
summer court, to win favors from the Great
Clans to allow them to settle worlds and systems
entirely as a single clan instead of sharing it with
a minor clan, and the literal masters of a web of
documents, laws, precedents, achieves,
references and duel results and bureaucracy
stretching back 3,000 years that even the most
dedicated of Asako Lore masters and Ikoma
historians would be hesitant to look into. To the
Otomo however, this maze is their source of
power, and on at least one occasion they have
been accused of re-writing the law to suit their
own purpose.
The Miya however, have possibly had
even a greater gain in power and prestige. The
advent of mass media has allowed the Miya to
spread news and information far more quickly
than in ages past, and while the other Clans, the
Scorpion being the best example, tried to start
their own media empires, the trust the Empire
places in the Miya means the power in their
words is unmatched. The Miya family seizes all
the information of the Empire when the Otomo
have the total control on power plant facilities
and energy distribution. After the Alliances
War, they also rule the use of civil nuclear use
and forbids the use of radioactive material to
weaponry development
The Ikoma decide the history.... but the
present is written by the Miya. The strength of
the Miya daimyo to handle the pressure from the
Clans to change the story, to show favoritism,
and to shape public opinion on news has been
hard to resist. Fortunately, in the first Winter
Court where the Miya had Mass Media, the
duels that resulted from their poor choice of
words during those reports gave the Miya insight
into the power they wielded and have since used
91
it with great care and respect. Unfortunately, the
current Miya Daimyo lacks his ancestors’
willpower.
The Seppun have gained far less than
the other Imperial Families and continue their
long-term dedication to duty. They have a very
strong alliance with the Badger
Important Figures
Otomo Hokusai is one of the most loyal and
steadfast men in the Empire, at least in his own
eyes, having chosen to take the name of the man
who re-earned the Emperor’s trust after the first
Gozoku. The man is built like a soldier due to
daily kata rituals, and at first glance most
mistake him for a Bushi, if quite an aged one.
And he was a kind and courteous man,
seemingly prone to breaking his on regularly in
company, building trust and friendship, and
often under-estimation.
But Hokusai at times is truly vicious. He
has perfect recall and has spent much of his life
studying the bureaucracy red tape of the Empire
as well as the long and contradictory list of
imperial edicts going back 3,000 years. And if he
thinks it necessary for the Empire, or if he thinks
you slighted him in some way, he will bring this
down upon you.
But if you don’t leave, tomorrow in the
early morning some very unfortunate history
about your ancestor will come to light, and then
a few hours later it will be found that you broke
a decree that was issued by Iweko the twelfth.
And then there are the numerous code
violations your ship has. It really is best you do
this my way.”
Miya Mi-Na is the Daimyo of the Miya
family and controls their vast and powerful
media empire. She comes from a long line of
strong-willed men and women who have
reported the truth and issued edicts of the
Emperor himself. His house has resisted pressure
to lie, spin stories, or take sides in conflicts and
due to this they are the most trusted men and
women in the Empire.
And Mi-Na was raised in the same way.
She is strong willed and determined.... unless it
involved Opium, or Geisha, or Alcohol, or really
any chemical or sensual vice. However, she will
never accept money. She is quite proud of that;
that despite its temptations money and
materialism holds no influence over her.
The current Miya Daimyo remains ‘independent’
and thus isn’t under anyone’s thumb yet, the
Mantis, Scorpion and some elements of the
Crane are making moves to change this.

The Brotherhood still maintains is role for all
theological affairs specially to adapt their
concept to and from the new discoveries of the
universe. Still the religious and philosophical
foundation of Rokugan, the monks of Shinsei
struggle the hardest to recover the old traditions,
attempting to reconcile them with the new ways.
The Brotherhood of Shinsei is always flowing,
always moving and adapting as new paths reveal
themselves. As the Empire has advanced, the
orders have tended to become more ascetic by
comparison, however there are a few exceptions
to this rule, with at least one Order devoted to
understanding the universe through the creation
of intricate devices, each artistic in their own
way if a little more practical.
This has met with some resistance, for
many Rokugani have abandoned the teachings
of Shinsei and the Tao. The biggest
developments however are the Five Elemental
Moons and the followers of a False Path known
as the “Way of the Sword and Book.”
The Way of the Sword and Book
emerged shortly into the War of the Tao and are
believed to have been a result of the conflicts
religious nature. Recognizing that Bushi had in
the past found enlightenment, and seeing the
violence all around them, the Order dedicated
itself to trying to find enlightenment in a similar
manner. However, this pushed the order
dangerously close to being Bushi using the
privileges of being Monks, or Monks using the
privileges of a Bushi, rather than picking a path
and sticking to it, and after a Great Convocation
the Way of the Sword and Book was declared a
False Path.
Despite this, efforts to eradicate the
path have largely met with failure when any
Clan has chosen to focus on it, and thus far the
Emperor has yet to order the organisation to be
purged, meaning that quite often that when a
group of them are discovered they simply move
elsewhere.
It is also a commonly held belief among
those Samurai, that they must have a sponsor
Clan or Family, as the Kukojin and the Order of
the Spider did in the past, however thus far no
family has openly shielded them. However even
lacking that, the Order has long since gotten
very good at going unnoticed, and rarely if ever
spreads its teachings, knowing what the majority
of the Empire thinks of them.
92
Some monks have adjusted better than
others, becoming televangelists using the YNN
communication network to spread the good
preach across the galaxy while others have
receded into seclusion entirely, waiting for this
fragile new empire to destroy itself.
Important Figures
The Grand Abbot of the Brotherhood is a Monk
called Eun-ji. Not much is known about her
past; however, it’s believed she may have once
been a Heimin. A calm and quiet woman, who
has dedicated her life to the Rinzai sect of the
Brotherhood, it was exceptionally rare for her
answer someone’s questions, instead replying
question for question.
She is particularly famous for spending
several years in Rokugan, studying ancient
Rokugani Manuscripts to translate lost Koan.
The book that resulted in this is Koan of the era
of conflict, and details the Koan made between
the Clan Wars to the Destroyer war.
Iyagi believed to be the Abbot of the
Way of the Sword and Book. Exceptionally little
is known about him other than the name;
however, a single picture is known to exist of
him and he is considered a wanted criminal.
According to the little information the Emerald
Magistrates have made public, Iyagi is in
possession of a Nemurani of some power and it is
through this weapon he is an exceptional duelist.
However, he appears to be rational and assuming
you do not attempt to apprehend him or
challenge his honor, he will leave you be.
He is also a highly skilled hacker, which allows
him to avoid detection.

THE MINOR CLAN ALLIANCE
By the fourth millennium there are dozens of
Minor Clans in existence, so many that no
samurai is surprised to meet someone who claims
to be a member of a Clan they've never heard of.
The large number of these Minor Clans is the
only thing which allows the Alliance to have
any weight relative to the Great Clans, who
number in the tens of millions of samurai.
Most Minor Clan holdings were gained after an
Imperial edict that no Clan could lay claim to an
entire planet any more. Many Great Clans see
sharing space with a Minor Clan as a better
option than a rival Great Clan, so while the
Minor Clans lack exclusive access to any single
planet or system, they have plenty of small
holdings on planets, moons, and stations all
across the galaxy.
While territories have been given to specific
clans within the Alliance, their real strength is
the network of influence and trade they have
established between each other. The
headquarters of the Alliance is the City of the
Smiling Tortoise, an island city on the World of
Dreams. (The area was gifted by the Scorpion by
request of the Monkey, on the provision that the
city always has a Monkey governor.)
The Governor of the Alliance (chosen by the
Champions of all the Minor Clans) lives there,
acting on the Alliance’s behalf but able to make
major decisions such as war only when backed by
more than half of the individual clans. This
participative leadership is an oddity even in the
fourth millennium, and draws a certain amount
of mockery from the Great Clans, but the Minor
Clans seem happy enough with the arrangement.
The Governor is usually a Tortoise, though the
current Governor is Suzume Xian.
93
In front of so many clans it can be very difficult
to practice large-scale politics. This is why it’s
sometimes better to bring them together in
coalitions with same affinities. Below are
proposed several possible groups but note that
they are flexible and that changes are frequent.
Idealistic Philosophy: Albatross, Bear, Deer,
Firefly, Otter, Panda, Peacock, Seahorse,
Sparrow, Tern, Rat.
Protectors of the Empire: Crocodile, Dog,
Echidna, Hare, Hedgehog, Lark, Monkey,
Nightingale, Ox, Salmon, Tiger, Tortoise, Wolf.
Coalition for Imperial Reform: Anglerfish, Cat,
Hyena, Moth, Roach, Shark, Spider, Yak
Industrialist Group: Beaver, Camel, Drake, Frog,
Octopus, Oriole, Vulture, Tanuki.
Tradition, Spiritual and Magic Department:
Bee, Butterfly, Cormorant, Dragonfly,
Hummingbird, Ibis, Lynx, Obake, Raven,
Salamander, Scarab, Squirrel, Swan, Swordfish.
The clan of the albatross is still scattered
throughout the galaxy. They made a good
reputation in the world of fun and their
emissions on Yumeji News Network are
appreciated. They are always eager to explore
and good jokes. Their only true possession is the
small moon of Kohaku's Heaven.
The Anglerfish's purpose is to serve as official
and Taint free emissaries of the Spider Clan.
They do their best to monitor and supervise the
Spider Clan but they often lack of resources to
do it properly.
The Bear are a relatively small Minor Clan.
They received the Osano-Wo Reach planet to
settle a dispute between two major clans and still
try to produce the best honey of the galaxy.
The Beaver are dedicated to robotics,
automation and space habitat construction.
Beaver artisans study everything about them,
from engineering and to layout and aesthetics.
They train as architects to understand how
inhabitants will use their facilities.

The Bee maintains is activity of fashion critiques
within the Star Empire but has passed her honey
fabrication process to the Bear. They still have
no good relations with this clan. With so many
new discoveries they focus to catalog and price
the artwork from the entire galaxy. They’ve only
small estates but nearly always within Crane
space.
The Butterfly gained a new role with the
discovery of new alien species: protecting the
cemeteries, ancestor’s souls and cinders from
their influence. They also study foreign and alien
concepts of death. They sometimes serve as
undertakers and their etas are among the best
thanatopractors of the galaxy. Some of them also
studies cryogenics as a way to preserve corpses.
The Camel clan maintains strong supply and
commerce lines with an impressive merchant
fleet between all the worlds of the Star Empire.
They settled a remote desert moon near the east
border of the Empire that they called Rakuda’s
Beacon but have many warehouses across the
galaxy.
The Clan cat is more active than ever, renewed
for his many teahouses and geisha houses across
the Star Empire. But with the development of
communications, it has expanded its activities
by creating many social networks. Their main
base is secret and located deepest within
Scorpion space.
Even in the modern era, the official duty of the
Cormorant is still to search out, preserve
prophecies (and maybe other paranormal
activities) and to know who is researching the
phenomenon itself. Most Clans believe this is a
pointless task, but the Cormorant takes it
extremely seriously. They’ve also developed
some gambling and casino houses to improve
their economy and have an interest in alien
games.
The Crocodile clan patrol and protects
commerce and supply lines of the Star Empire.
They have a large fleet of small rapid vessels and
their headquarters are the Crocodile’s Tooth, an
94
Atakebune-class cruiser that permits them to be
quickly be where they’re useful.
The Deer always served the Empire as guardians
of balance. Through divine vision, they
uncovered the threads of futures yet to come,
and through artful stealth, they wove or severed
these threads to ensure that order was
maintained. They could tie alliances between
the Great Clans or unravel them as soon as any
one faction became too powerful. Through
subtle manipulation, the Deer Clan sought to
preserve power balance, and this meant that at
times, the weak had to rise and the mighty had
to fall.
The Dog clan is still reputed to have the best
wood craftsmen from of the Empire, specializes
also into the hunting of large predators and
aggressive alien animals to deliver them to the
Kitsune family clan and mostly work as guards
and yoriki for other Clans. Besides acting as
yojimbo for Minor Clans who don't have their
own, they have a reputation for doing the work
other Clans avoid, whether it's boring or
distasteful or just kind of weird. They get little
respect—even some other Minor Clans sneer at
them—but the Dog don't seem to mind. The
average Dog bushi is patient and silent waiting
in the background for a chance to shine that
may never come. The Dog have been given
some small holdings at the edge of a few systems,
but spend a lot of their time on ships or in other
Minor Clan territory. The Dog's "headquarters"
are on the Hachiko, an Atakebune-class cruiser
that spends most of its time lurking in the
Trojan asteroids of other Clans' worlds and goes
where it's needed.
The Dragonfly's purpose remains the same: the
official emissaries of the Dragon Clan. To deal
with other Clans the Dragon built Kitsuki's
Hand, an orbital station in a mostly
uninteresting system that is easily accessible to
most of the Clans, and the Dragonfly are
charged with running it. They also have
holdings in every other Dragon system, partly as
a show of good faith, partly to satisfy the
Emperor's edicts, and partly to watch for
intruders. The Mantis Clan bear a grudge against
the Dragonfly for some decades-old reason, and
Dragonfly who stray too far from Dragon
protection risk being attacked by "pirates". To
improve their ties with the Minor Clan
Alliance, the Dragonfly has received permission
to share the land (and Dragon protection) with
some of their allies: The Bear, Bee, Octopus, and
Otter clans.
For decades, the Drake clan fought for its
survival. Then modern times came and with
them the creation of the energy handguns. It was
at this point that the Drake Clan finally
flourished. Indeed, many people asked advice to
the clan to apprehend the handling of weapons
that the time only taught the Drake to handle.
Contempt for their methods became almost of
admiration and the Drake Clan prospered.
Duelists of the Drake Clan are among the most
feared when using of handguns is required. Only
the Tsuruchi family outperforms them for
sharpshooting.
The Echidna was created centuries ago to honor
a band of ronin who helped Imperial
Magistrates. They since invented a strange new
invention they called the sword bayonet and
refined and updated the style to become
excellent infantry for the Emerald Stars era.
They used to take mercenary jobs to fill their
coffers, but unfortunately most of their last
generation was lost when the Crane Clan used
them to win dangerous battles. They've spent
the last couple decades rebuilding. The
Echidna's headquarters are on Kitsuki's Hand.
Their last Champion sold a couple other
holdings to get by, and these days the Echidna
clan is so small that people consistently confuse
them for the larger Hedgehog Clan. They do not
appreciate this.
The Firefly monitors the eastern frontier of the
Star Empire. They also maintain a rapid response
fleet of small and fast ships to rescue any ship in
distress. What you can do, you can never take
the skies from them.
A recent outcast from the Mantis clan and one
of the youngest minor clan, the Frog clan
specializes in climatology. They adopted the
family name of Kearu when they absorbed them
to manage their finances. They developed
technology for environmental systems and
weather control facilities. And when it’s not
possible they diffuse weather forecasts on the
Yumeji News Network. They live in a complex
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of domes named The Tadpole Eggs Complex on
the unwelcoming moon of the Happy Frog.
The Hare Clan has always been one of
Rokugan's more well-known Minor Clans. Over
1500 years ago they were instrumental in putting
down Iuchiban and his Bloodspeaker Cult. Since
then they have always been treated with respect
beyond most other Minor clans. Over time their
reputation faded and they began to fall into
neglect, but with the advent of Modern
television and organized sports, the Hare Clan's
reputation began to climb again. Known to
produce some of the finest athletes in Rokugan
they have also begun to get into the media
market. They are currently working to establish
their own TV station to follow up their highly
successful alternative Radio Station, KHRE. In
more recent years, with the coming of modern
firearms and Gaijin influence, the Hare Clan has
discovered the Art of the Gun Duel and
suddenly found their niche.
The age of space makes it easier for
maho-tsukai to do their business: it's a lot easier
to hide when you can fly to another planet
nobody's using. The Hare's task is to search the
Empire, figure out where they're hiding, and take
them out. The Hare have nearly been destroyed
by their allies many times over the centuries, so
behind the scenes some Hare work to make sure
their knowledge and techniques will be
preserved even if the Hare die.
Hare samurai encountered by other
Clans are usually on a mission, working as
magistrates, or scouting out new places to hide
away their knowledge. Hare holdings are
intentionally hidden, mobile, or placed close to
heavily-defended Imperial worlds for protection.
Their largest (known) holding is Sudaro's Hand,
a station in a Lion Clan system that serves as
their court.
The Hedgehog Clan has survived for centuries
thanks to its mastery of spears. Today the use of
firearms has made the use of such weapons
somewhat obscure and the bushis of the clan are
always looking for a real utility. Most have
become mercenaries and the clan has somewhat
lost its notoriety in modern society.

The Hummingbird still lack of a clear purpose
but was never disbanded even after so many
centuries. This weakness is actually their
strongest strength: It’s one the most versatile
clan, eager to find a solution to a problem when
others are still trying to understand it. They
maintain small outposts everywhere in the
Empire.
The clan of shame, bitterness and dishonor...
This is how many people call this group.
Originally, he left a laudable intention on the
part of certain women of the Moshi family of the
Mantis clan: to defend the emancipation of
women in this modern world. However, the
aggressive and not always discerned recruitment
made the actions of some of these members
transformed it into a criminal organization
conspiracy rather than a true clan whose
imperial status was never obtained. Its existence
is comparable to that of the shark clan: a kind of
blackmail or shame to oppose it directly. The «
hyena clan » tries topically to impose matriarchy
where man always held a preponderant place in
the imperial universe. These people tend to use
sneering and sneaky manifestations to achieve
their ends. Only the most radical and even
extremist Nekoma, Matsu and Utaku find their
count there, the others never fail to laugh
openly of this grouping. Hence the little glorious
nickname of "clan of the hyena"...
The Ibis believe that true power comes from
winning hearts and minds, and their artisans are
pop idols, dancers, and soap opera stars. Aibisu
have earned a lot of fans and political currency
through their broadcasts and this has shielded
them well from the machinations of the Great
Clans.
The Lark is a paramilitary organization that
protects especially many of the Brotherhood
properties dispersed in the galaxy. Their
headquarters is a Katana-class battle cruiser
named The song of the lark.
They also work on predictive modeling and
analytics, and plenty of Minor Clan Alliance
settlements around the Empire use Lynx
scientists as advisors without even knowing it.
The Lynx rarely study the gift of prophecy
96
itself—it's extremely rare. Prophets willing to
join a Minor Clan are even rarer, so the Lynx
focus instead on gaining shugenja. Still, the
Lynx get a prophet once every generation or
two, and they are guaranteed high positions
within the Clan.
The Lynx prefer to make their homes in
orbital stations. Their secret headquarters and
primary servers are found in Shiro Hajime, a
cloaked station in the border of Scorpion Space.
As a small and obscure branch of the rokugani
department of defense, they are treated as an
urban legend.
While the Imperial Legions and Guard were
necessary for the safety of the Empire, the
Monkey Clan could be sent to where the
Emperor needed their presence. Their
determination and dedication to their duty has
made them one of the most valuable assets to
the Jade Throne and their role hasn't changed
much: they're a symbol of hope and virtue in the
Empire. The Monkey still care about day-to-day
wellness of the entire Empire citizens. They
main purpose is to serve as elite police to
maintain order within the Star Empire. The
Monkey took to spacecraft well, and these days
"heroic Toku starship captain" is a common vid
show stereotype. They're not as well-off
compared to other Minor Clans as they used to
be, but they're relatively large with a lot of
political capital. The Scorpion still see the
Monkey as their naïve younger brother, and the
Monkey have profited greatly from the
relationship. The Monkey doesn’t have many
holdings, but the ones they do are large and
prosperous. Besides governing the City of the
Smiling Tortoise on behalf of the Alliance, their
largest holding is the orbital station Toku's Duty
in the Bayushi's Eye system
The Moth clan is specialized in cryptography
and computer hacking. They love studying alien
computers and programs and protect the Yumeji
News Network from piracy when they’re not
hacking it themselves. The information about
them is still difficult to obtain as they live near a
black hole on a remote dark and lonely planet
called the Moth’s Cocoon.
The Nightingale specializes into Rapid Response
Teams and corruption detection. They have
only small fleet of vessels but what they lack of
the power, they compensate it with swiftness and
deduction. They try to maintain a police activity
like the Wolf or the Monkey clans.
The Obake clan is specialized in cataloging,
tracking and banishing rare and dangerous
undead spirit and creatures like zombies. Their
location is a secret known only by the clan and
imperial authorities. They often cooperate with
the Toritaka family, more rarely with the
Butterfly and hate the Spider for using undead as
regular troops.
The Octopus has specialized himself in the mass
production and duplication not only in art but
also for all tools of the day-to-day life. They’re at
the head of one of the most competitive
industrial network and economical organization
of the Star Empire. They are also very good to
detect and counterfeit foreign merchandise.
New Family: Murakumo +1 Willpower
The Oriole Clan kept their position as some of
the best smiths in the Empire, but they've had to
adapt to the times. In the fourth millennium,
when even an average samurai carries a blade
encased in an aura of radiant energy, higher-
ranking samurai wield monomolecular blades,
blades forged from metals taken from the heart
of collapsed stars, and other advanced weapons.
The Tsi can work with radiant energy, but
they've created the Murakumo shugenja family
to help them make the other things. They're one
of the richer Clans of the Alliance, and one of
the few with the honor of sharing a system with
Imperial families: their largest holdings are the
moons around Xing Guo's Anvil, a gas giant in a
Seppun system.
The Otter has become one of the finest and
uppermost developed organizations concerning
medicine. They maintain a large network of
medical stations across the Star Empire where
they’re now developing advanced prosthetics
and remedies to heal the diseased. Their data
about poisons and diseases is probably the best
you can find in the whole galaxy.
97
The Ox Clan still combats actively and monitors
the activity of the Kolat, trying to destroy it
definitely from within but with so many remote
worlds where to hide, it’s still not for tomorrow.
The Ox has more than one agency within the
Empire and their headquarters are on a space
station named Morito’s Will not far from a
pulsar.
The Panda clan is special in the sense that it
contains only monks who fight under the rules
and the art of sumo. Their special statuses and
their peaceful and good-natured character often
enable them to be forgiven.
The Peacock clan always keeps the imperial
volatiles of the same name on areas of the
Emperor’s domain. It is always the smallest clan
to date with only bare interest for space.
Finding love across the stars is sometimes even
more difficult than in the original Empire. The
Rat clan still emphasizes to arranged marriage
organization and as even spread matrimonial
agencies among the galaxy.
The Raven operates the only official
organization that proposes and enforces
authorized mercenary services. They also
monitor ronin activities within the Empire.
Their headquarters is a unique designed and
ragtag ship named the Raven’s claw.
When the others clans try to find the best way to
expend their influence on the galaxy, the Roach
is more than ever concerned in the development
of the oneself and the survival in the worst
conditions.
The Salamander is still looking to understand
what give the shugenja the gift to speech to the
kami. They’re now extending their research to
other worlds and alien concepts, even trying to
develop technological or even genetics
enhancements to make this ability more spread
without many successes. They are based on a
convoy of small vessels that run the Star Empire
without cease to perform their duties.

The Salmon clan is always known for his sense
of taste and publishes a highly anticipated
annual guide of the best Star Emerald Empire
establishments. He also created the
Consumption and Protection of the food chain
Agency which regulates all food production in
the Empire.
Now that a civilization has been discovered that
threaten the Empire himself, the secluded
Scarab clan is looking for a way to destroy them
in an unconventional way: with the only
strength of the spirit and the soul. They live on
the dark face of an unsanctified remote world
near Dragon border called Mekhem’s Cloak.
The Seahorse as developed many
accommodations throughout the Star Empire to
ensure that every honorable one in need could
find an appropriate refuge. They are still
specialized in the exploration of pelagic planets
and contacts with aquatic life forms. Their main
holding is a small oceanic moon named Ocean
of Sapphire within Crab Space.
The Shark has never had a purpose and managed
to evade eradication by fleeing to a remote world
they called Lost Tengoku. They still enjoy life
above bushido and their new planet is a source
of debauchery for anyone is looking for a place
to act without any law. Wolf officers sometimes
tried to bring them back on track but have never
so far managed to impose imperial law on their
world.
The humble Suzume are the glue that holds the
Minor Clan Alliance together. All major Minor
Clan holdings have a Suzume somewhere,
usually performing underappreciated
bureaucratic roles or serving as a link to the
greater Alliance. When the Alliance gets a
presence in the courts, they're often
accompanied by a Suzume artisan. They are of
little importance to the greater Empire, but to
the Alliance, they're vital.
The Sparrow were first brought into
space by the Crane Clan, who gave them mostly
barren locations and simple space stations that
only technically fulfilled the Emperor's decree. It
was a pretty bad joke, and the Crane stopped the
98
practice when they accidentally gave the
Sparrow huge swathes of territory on the gas
giant Jikoju's Breath right before the Phoenix
invented kobune-class stations that could float
in its skies like giant balloons. Jikoju's Breath is
now a beautiful city. The Crane are still mad but
nobody cares.
After centuries of life on scares and
poor lands, the Sparrow has also learned how to
tame the earth herself. They made heavy use of
terraforming, utilizing the power of the Anvil of
Earth to transform mountains, ranges, and even
continents to better suit the desires and needs of
the rokugani. They are now among the best
terraformers of the Empire, looking for and
preparing barren worlds to welcome future new
life.
After centuries of incessant collection, the
Squirrel clan managed to amass an enormous
quantity of various and varied objects. Some
could have been forgotten since the dawn of
time but the hard work of this small clan allowed
keeping them intact. In some situations, like the
Alliance War some of these objects have even
rocked the course of some battles. In these
remote times, science is beginning to discover
the secrets of certain Nemunarais, and the
collection and archives of the Squirrel clan are
all the more precious. The Squirrel Clan chose
to establish its headquarters aboard the
Chomchog, the flagship of the Unicorn Clan.
The main activity of the Swan Clan is still to
give important people false identities and
protection at imperial request. They run the
Imperial Secret Service and specialize in witness
protection and body guarding as well. Their
main holding is a temperate small moon called
Feathers of the space within Scorpion’s territory.
For centuries, the Swordfish Clan has worked to
uphold the tradition of bushido as the path of
the individual swordsman. The Swordfish spend
much of their time wandering the Empire,
traveling by their own means and taking on any
problems they come across. Many Swordfish find
work as magistrates. The Swordfish also study
bushido heavily, and have perhaps the most
extensive collection of writings about bushido in
the galaxy. Most Great Clans see the Swordfish
as jumped-up ronin, but the Swordfish rarely
give anyone a reason to move against them.
Most Swordfish holdings are in Crane, Lion or
Crab space.
The Tanuki has extended his activities not only
to sake brewing but to the whole agribusiness of
the Star Empire. With so many people to
nourish, their industry is quite developed. They
hold many “factory domains” where they
produce tremendous quantities of food and
beverage. They’re often in dispute with the
Salmon Clan
After centuries of isolation, the Tern clan was
rediscovered some times before the launch of the
first space vessel. The Tern remain isolationist
and quite primitive, deeply convinced that what
a machine or computer can do can be done
better by a human. Using technology is equal to
diminish a samurai’s soul for them. They’ve been
relocated and then live peacefully on a remote
iced moon within Dragon Space. They’re rarely
seen out their world.
The Tiger has only one purpose: Guard the
capital world of Rokugan, monitor the access
and often refuse it. Their main estate is the Eye
of the Tiger Station that orbits Rokugan.
The official role of the Tortoise remains the
same: grubby merchants who keep the Imperial
Capital clean and watch over the borders of
Imperial systems. Unofficially, they're still
smugglers who spy on criminal and gaijin groups
for threats to the Empire. They're just watching
aliens too. When the Empire interacts with
those aliens openly, such as the Hanajin, the
Tortoise are caretakers of the stations where
most of this interaction takes place. The
Tortoise are the main voice of the Minor Clan
Alliance in the courts, and one of the few Clans
that actually keeps track of how many Minor
Clans there are and where they live.
Since nobody wants to share worlds
with the Tortoise, they mostly purchase station
rights in out-of-the-way places like Trojan
asteroids, the outer rims of systems, and
uninhabitable dwarf planets. Their biggest
holding is the Shell, a space station bazaar
orbiting a dead star where all Rokugani (and
aliens) can meet, trade and increase the
Tortoise's wealth. Like the Scorpion and their
World of Dreams, most Clans spend so much
time being disgusted (or fascinated) by the Shell
that they don't really pay attention to the
Tortoise's other holdings.
99
The Tortoise is the center of the Alliance of the
minor clans and often at the head of their
government. They still continue their original
purpose on monitoring crime activity and
custom service by preventing alien and gaijin
technology penetration of the Empire.
New Family: Shouko: +1 Reflexes
The Vulture Clan clean space debris from the
orbits of Empire worlds, to protect the satellites,
space stations, and spacecraft of other Clans
from collisions. They also clean up after major
space battles, retrieving as many dead as they
can for burial. Most of their money comes from
salvaging; many samurai have petitioned them
to find a treasured item lost on a derelict, or
accused them of keeping salvaged resources and
equipment. Overall the Vulture Clan is seen as a
necessity that can be safely ignored unless you
need them.
The Vulture has offices in all major
space stations (usually somewhere small and in
the back); their only major holding is the
Benten's Biwa station in Unicorn space, where
the Vulture take their salvage for sorting and
trade.
New Family: Risu: +1Awareness
By the fourth millennium, there are a lot of
lesser Fortunes. Some were forgotten, died or
even or found some other way to lose their
station, which doesn't help matters. The Weasel
are tasked with recording and remembering
them, as well as making sure that shrines to
them remain open and accessible throughout the
galaxy. Their founder was a Phoenix samurai
named Shiba Risu, and the Phoenix are still
their closest Great Clan ally. The Weasel
regularly sends young samurai to travel the
galaxy and teach others about the Fortunes, and
most retire to join the Temples of the Thousand
Fortunes. The Weasel's headquarters are on
Kitsuki’s Hand, and their other holdings are
libraries and shrines. These holdings are used as
resting places for their traveling samurai, but the
Weasel have a standing offer that any ronin who
does not make trouble will be given hospitality
for up to three weeks.
Where the Monkey, Crocodile, Salmon and
Tortoise clans have a police activity within the
Empire, the Wolf is a Ranger Police
Organization that enforces the imperial law even
in the most remote corners of the galaxy. They
still don’t manage to bring Lost Tengoku planet
of the Shark clan to the law. The Wolf has
several outposts in the form of small orbital
stations along the borders of the Star Empire.
Their headquarters is a deep space station, the
Wolf's Lair between the border of Dragon and
Badger spaces.
New Family: Karaushi: +1 Perception
The Karaushi family has been created by Iweko
II centuries ago from an alliance of Shiba
eccentrics and Ikoma outcasts, secluding them
with the purpose of keeping an eye on the
Yobanjin. This included maintaining contact
with less-hostile bands as Yobanjin were still
tolerated in the Empire but no trade was
officially conducted with them. Kind of rough
and ready clan, they kept this role in the modern
era but are in fact the beginning of a new Kolat.
100
The imperial power is diluted in the vastness of
space. All the efforts of the imperial families are
insufficient to maintain the incredible
bureaucracy in place. Even the capital world of
Rokugan Prime sees its legitimacy contested by
the World of Dreams, much more populated and
accessible. In this context many people believe
that a third Gozoku is already up and eating
away the foundations of the Empire of Emerald
Stars.
With the closure of the two Fu Leng’s Pits
centuries ago many thoughts now that it’s an
extinguished menace. Nothing is more far from
reality than this. There are always been other
portals to Jikogu on other planets than Rokugan
Prime. Some maho-tsukai and members of the
Spider Clan are actively trying to open the larger
portal than a samurai has ever seen on a remote
space location. The Third Day of Thunders is
approaching but this time technology will have a
tremendous impact on the victory…
When the Scorpion scattered the Kolat, these
shadow conspirators found themselves exposed
and destroyed. Their power base and operatives
were broken, their leaders publicly executed. Its
leaders then took it upon themselves to
restructure the conspiracy individually, with
themselves at the head. Ironically, while this
resulted in the Kolat numbers reaching higher
than ever, this has also severely undercut the
scope of their influence, as they spend as much
time feuding with each other as they do against
the Rokugani government. With the move to
the stars, the Kolat have now got the almost
impossible task of convincing an Empire that
lives on worlds that have been blessed or cursed
by various spirit realms....to turn away from such
things.... a near impossibility.
The Syndicates in modern times are intensely
anti-authoritarian, believe the Rokugani
government tyrannical and oppressive. Whether
this is true or not is in the eyes of the beholder,
but even in the comparatively lax standards of
etiquette of Modern Rokugan, the Kolat
Syndicates seem to take joy in pushing the
boundaries of what is acceptable. That many of
the syndicates hold significant power makes
removing these blights against good taste all but
impossible.
Unsurprisingly, Kolat Syndicates are popular
employers for unscrupulous Ronin who do not
wish to kowtow to a Samurai master. Indeed, in
modern times most of the Ronin population
belong to a Kolat Syndicate in some form or
another.

Depending on the world and the Syndicate in

question, the power they wield can be immense.
Some worlds are governed by Clan only in
name, the true power belonging to the Kolat
who claims them as their own, the world so
isolated or beneath notice that the Clan does
not even realize their rule has been usurped.
This growing of power, accelerated in the
galactic stage, has caused the most powerful
syndicates to butt heads with the Scorpion
controlled organizations.

Still, there are many worlds to hide and rumors

abound of the return of the Kolat, in an
altogether different form. The Yak Clan has
been deeply infiltrated but still lacks of
notoriety.

Legends still persist of the Dark Path of Shadow,

the Lying Darkness, an evil that has nothing to
do with Jigoku or the Shadowlands. Some have
learned to harness this power for great feats of
stealth and agility. These are the true ninja,
assassins, midnight warriors of Rokugan. The
Dark Path was believed defeated for a time, but
some individuals claim they can hear it calling
them. Is their power truly an extension of the
Dark Path, or some other evil altogether?

There are so many places to hide within space:

No other environment is so friendly to the Lying
Darkness than the vacuum of space himself. The
Shadow dragon is still alive today and his
strength and influences have grown with the
fears of the unknown. He uses so many black
holes in the universe as shelters and wormholes
to reach the end of the universe… Rumors say
that he has access to tremendous energy through
the dark matter that lies between the galaxies
and that he even knows how to convert it to
very dangerous anti-matter. No one heard about
him from centuries now but from the darkness
he has begun again to whisper his dream to put
an end to the reality. The Moth Clan was the
first touched by his influence and through it he
should have an access to the YYN and all
connected technology…

101

The courts still exist and have strong influence
in Rokugan (although some courtly interplay is
done via computer now) and samurai still carry
katana as a symbol of their station and are
expected to be able to use them.
In the modern world of the Emerald Star
Empire, a few things are assumed to be common
for all player characters such as have enough
basic knowledge of technology to operate a
computer and use the YNN on simple levels,
drive a car, and read. Certain schools and
disadvantages forbid this, but they will be
handled on a case by case basis.
Here are the modifications for existing L5R
skills:
ACTING
NEW EMPHASIS: In addition to Noh and Kabuki
(both now very rare) you may choose to
specialize in Film: Drama, Film: Comedy, Film:
Action Movies or Non-human.
ANIMAL HANDLING
NEW EMPHASIS: Bees and all emphases for all
exotic and alien creatures
CALLIGRAPHY
NEW EMPHASIS: Gaijin fonts, Numerology,
Ancient codes.
Now called Cryptography and may be replaced
with Computer Use, if your school offers it. The
art to secure data with coding and/or ciphering.
COMPUTER USE
SUB-TYPE: High Skill
EMPHASIS: Research, Programming, Hacking,
Modelling
DESCRIPTION: The art of making computers do
what one wants. Considered a Low Skill when
using the Hacking emphasis. Suggested Trait is
Awareness.
CRAFT (Armorsmithing) and
(Weaponsmithing) are now separated into
Modern (high tech synthetic fabrics, radiant
generators and metal padding) and Ancient (the
armor and weapons of the original era). Ancient
is a very rare specialization and for the most part
outdated. All schools which offer it should
replace it with Craft: Modern Armorsmithing or
Craft: Modern Weaponsmithing unless noted
otherwise.
102
CRAFT
NEW EMPHASIS: Chemistry
Knowledge of mathematics, basic science,
laboratory techniques and complex chemical
formulae. With the proper laboratory, this skill
can be used to create medicines, explosives,
complex neurotoxins and/or extremely potent
alcoholic beverages.
DRIVING
SUB-TYPE: Merchant Skill
EMPHASIS: Wheeled, Tracked, Air-Cushion,
Boats
DESCRIPTION:
The ability to operate vehicles. All characters
are able to drive vehicles with automatic
transmission unless his school or disadvantages
imply otherwise, in which such a driving skill
can be learned as a skill. Suggested Trait is
Intelligence, although Reflexes could be used
when avoiding sudden threats.
MASTERY ABILITIES:
RANK 5: –The character gains a bonus of
+5 to the total of any Driving Skill Roll
made as part of a Cooperative or
Cumulative Skill Roll.
ENGINEERING
NEW EMPHASIS: Demolitions
This emphasis combines both the general
knowledge of the types and mechanics of
common explosives, as well as skill with using
them as weapons. This skill may be used to set or
disarm explosive devices, and to throw explosive
weapons such as grenades and Bakemono Juice.
ENGINEERING
NEW EMPHASIS: Cybernetics and robotics
This emphasis gives you general knowledge of
electronics of how to fix and build modern
equipment.
ENGINEERING
NEW EMPHASIS: Mining
This emphasis enables you to locate ore and to
exploit it properly.
FIREARMS
SUB-TYPE: Weapon Skill, Bugei Skill
EMPHASIS: Sidearm, Rifle, Marksman, Heavy
Weapons
DESCRIPTION: The skill used when firing modern
ranged weapons. Suggested Trait is either
Reflexes or Intelligence, depending on whether
the GM wants to depict accurate shooting as
being dependent more on muscle-memory or
mental focus. The character gains glory at half
the rate of normal when using firearms in battle.
While firearms are commonly used and accepted
in Rokugani society, true glory is gained through
melee combat.
MASTERY ABILITIES:
RANK 3: – Readying a firearm with the
Small or Medium Keyword is a Free
Action rather than a Simple Action.
RANK 5: – The maximum range of any
firearm is increased by 50%.
RANK 7: – When using any firearm, the
Perception of the firearm is increased by
1.
FLYING
SUB-TYPE: Merchant Skill.
EMPHASIS: Fixed-Wing, Helicopter
DESCRIPTION: The skill used when operating
flying craft within planetary atmosphere. Like
Driving, this Skill is probably primarily
Intelligence-based but could use physical Traits
during emergencies.
MASTERY ABILITIES:
RANK 5: –The character gains a bonus of
+5 to the total of any Flying Skill Roll
made as part of a Cooperative or
Cumulative Skill Roll.
GAMES
NEW EMPHASIS: Computer stratagem, 3D Go,
video games…
HORSEMANSHIP:
SUB-TYPE: Merchant Skill.
NEW EMPHASIS: Doreiku or “lesser dragon”,
Arashitora or “stormtiger”, and other creatures.
Now called Riding and may be replaced with
Driving skill if your school offers it. Many
Unicorns are still skilled horsemen and ride
other beasts more exotic or alien creatures than
rokugani ponies, but many don't bother
anymore.
INVESTIGATION
NEW EMPHASIS: Forensics
The art of modern crime solving with the help of
the science.
KYUJUTSU
In almost every case, this should be replaced
with Firearms, but it is not mandatory. If a
samurai wishes to use a bow instead of a sidearm,
he will get odd looks but not much else. Side
arms are more compact, more powerful, and
easier to use. Bows on the other hand, are more
accurate, silent, and much easier to repair and
maintain. Traditionalist enclaves such as the
Tsuruchi family are known to use both.
103
LORE (Heraldry): Now includes modern
company logos (Dojicorp, KTSU, YNN, etc) as
well as advertising, weapons and armor of
distinctive clans and corporations.
LORE (History): Now divided into two
specializations, Lore (Modern History) and Lore
(Ancient History). "Ancient" is anything from
before about 1800. Any schools that offer
History may replace it with Modern History.
Ancient History is very rare area of knowledge,
and it is difficult to find sources of information
or teachers on the subject.
MEDICINE
NEW EMPHASIS: Autopsy
Considered a Low Skill when using the Autopsy
emphasis, it’s the study of dead bodies to
determine the time and cause of their death, as
well as illnesses they may have carried and
identifying marks. Note that touching dead flesh
is still taboo and considered dishonoring. During
autopsy, most samurai direct a skilled eta while
they observe.
MEDICINE
NEW EMPHASIS: Genetic and Cloning
The art of sequencing and decoding DNA. The
advances in rokugani science allow cloning and
gene therapy even though the practice remains
very costly and controversial among the most
conservative.
MEDICINE
NEW EMPHASIS: Prosthesis Installation
The art of installing prostheses properly is not
given to everyone. It is considered Low and very
dishonoring to remove a fully functional and
healthy organ or member to replace it with
something else ... except within the Spider clan.
PILOTING
SUB-TYPE: Merchant Skill.
EMPHASIS: Combat, Docking
The skill of controlling a spacecraft. Suggested
Trait is Intelligence.
MASTERY ABILITIES:
RANK 5: –The character gains a bonus of
+5 to the total of any Piloting Skill Roll
made as part of a Cooperative or
Cumulative Skill Roll.
SPACEFRAME ENGINEERING
SUB-TYPE: Merchant Skill.
NEW EMPHASIS: Ship design, Ion Engines, etc.
Now includes a basic understanding of how to
fix and build ships and vehicles. This Skill will
acquire several new Emphases Suggested Trait is FORTUNES OF FOOD’S BLESSING [SPIRITUAL]
Intellect (4POINTS)
Toyoyuke-Omikami’s Blessing (Panda)
NEW MASTERY ABILITIES: You gain a +1k0 on all Etiquette rolls
RANK 5: – The character may operate made within an hour of your arrival in
Vehicle Weapons with 3/4 minimum any location as everyone is happy to see
crew (three men instead of four) you arrive. If you eat with your hosts,
RANK 7: – As rank 5 but with half this bonus increases to +1k1 on
minimum crew (two men instead of Etiquette and +1k0 on all other social
four) rolls. Further, any meal you partake in
automatically has enough food to
provide for everyone there.
Kojin’s Blessing (Panda) No Kitchen
you routinely work in will ever
accidentally catch fire. You gain a +1k0
CITIZEN/STIGMA/VETERAN [SOCIAL] (VARIES) bonus to all Craft: Cooking and Tea
In order to properly adapt the places to the new Ceremony rolls and Craft: Cooking is a
context, we suggest you the following Noble Skill for you.
conversions:
INNER GIFT: SAKKAKU-DO [MENTAL] (6
POINTS)
Broken Wave Osano-Wo Reach You have been touched by the Realm of
Clear Water Hida Prime Mischief, perhaps by heritage, perhaps by
Dark Edge Burning Star exposure to a world close to the realm. This
Imperial City Rokugan Prime inner gift may only be purchased by shugenja.
Iron Heart Gale Take +1k0 to social rolls when interacting with
Laughing Plains Golden Mirror
denizens of Sakkaku. In addition, you may learn
Naishou New Rokugan
Ninesake Ujimitsu and research spells aligned with this realm under
Ruined City Hida Secundus their listed element. These spells are the
Sacred Forest First Landing equivalent of soultwister spells (from Enemies of
Water Hammer City Dragon’s Eye the Empire) aligned with Sakkaku, and do not
Zakyo Toshi World of Dreams require scrolls to cast.

INHERITANCE: KOBUNE [MATERIAL] (10 LESSONS OF THE PAST [MENTAL] (6 POINTS)

POINTS)
One of your relatives was a successful captain for
a Clan, and his kobune-class merchant ship has
passed to you now that you have come of age.
You may not be the most prepared for such a
task, but the option is available if you wish it.
You possess a small Kobune-class ship. You are
capable of make trips between populated worlds
of your system; and assuming you are (or a
member of your crew is) a shugenja you can
travel between systems. Assuming good
Commerce Skill Rolls are made, a single voyage
should cover expenses and end with a profit for
you.
ALIEN LANGUAGE [MENTAL] (3 POINTS)
An alien language, such as the Goryu, Ryunin,
Hanajin or Scarab language, requires three
points and confers only an ability to understand
the language and a limited ability to express very
basic concepts verbally.
The character has a strong connection to his
roots. His ancestors have recognized this, and in
hopes of spreading his knowledge have made this
connection even stronger. The character has a
+2k0 bonus when using any ancient weapons or
using any Ancient skills, and may purchase
ancestors for one point less. The character may
learn Ancient skills when he is created if this
advantage is taken.
MEDICAL REMEDY [PHYSICAL AND MATERIAL]
(VARIES)
Modern medicine allows the development of
cybernetic implants or even to culture them
with bioengineering. This advantage cost the
same amount of points as the physical
disadvantage it cures as long as he doesn’t give
any other advantage. For example: Replacing a
missing eye with a cybernetic ocular implant
that gives also X-Ray, IR and UV vision cost
more than 6 points as Blind is a 6 point
Disadvantage. The GM has the final word for
what it’s allowed, the cost and the additional
benefits or drawbacks of a medical remedy.

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OPPORTUNIST [SOCIAL] (5 POINTS)
You are an opportunist, and will take the Mantis Wasp Yumi (6)
opportunity to be cruel or vicious in a fight. You
know how bushido works, and how to take
advantage of it in a fight. When facing an Phoenix Guardian (7)
opponent with lower honor rank than yours, you
may lose 3 honor points to add to your damages
a number equal to the difference between your
opponent's honor rank and yours until the end Phoenix Shiba Naginata (6)
of the encounter. Spider characters may
purchase this Advantage for 4 points.

SACRED WEAPON [MATERIAL] (VARIES) Scorpion Dark Mirror Edge (6)

You have bought or been given a special weapon
created by your clan. The point cost of each
individual weapon is denoted by the number
Scorpion Holdout sidearm (6)
after its name. New weaponsmithing techniques
have also been created and the table from the
Core Rulebook p.153 is expended:
Scorpion,
Unseen Blade (5)
Cat

Crab Earth Breaker (6)

Scorpion Yogo Jitte (4)

Crab Slayer's Edge (6)

Crab Hammer of Earth (5) Unicorn Ide Fan (4)

Devastator Siege
Crab Weapon (7)
Unicorn Antic Horse Bow (6)
Crab Mediator (6)

Crab Golden Jitte (3)

Unicorn Utaku Cutter (6)

Crane Heavenly Spear (4)

Unicorn Khol-class Firearm (7)

Crane,
Lady Doji's Gift (5)
Ibis
Spider Chuda Han-Kyu (6)

Twin Radiance (Pair)

Dragon (4x2)

Lion Indomitable X32 (7)

Spider Dark Radiance (7)

Lion Tessen of Legends (5)

Spider Obsidian Blade (6)

Lion Tachi of Furor (6)

Spider Spider Bisento (6)

Mantis Distant Thunder (7)
PRACTICAL [MENTAL] (3 POINTS)
As the Empire has grown more diverse, so to
have you grown more practical in your skill set.
Mantis Storm Blade (5) Whenever you are in a situation where you
would be forced to make an Unskilled Roll using
a Merchant Skill, you are considered to have 1
rank in the Skill instead. Mantis, Daidoji, Ide,

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and Yasuki characters may purchase this
Advantage for 2 points.
STONEMELT [PHYSICAL] (8 POINTS)
Pre-requisites: Earth Ring at 3 or more
The character has pierced the secret of the
ancient matter. Allows to move at normal speed
through solid earth or stone, (but not metal,
paper or wood) without suffering any effect. A
character who moves at Water 2 can leave a
tunnel that will last for one minute before
collapsing. A character who moves at Water 1
can leave a permanent tunnel.
All Zokujins have this advantage for free.
TECHNOPHILE [MENTAL] (3 POINTS)
The character has a natural talent for modern
technology and equipment. Whenever using or
repairing any modern electrical device, the
character gains a +1k0 bonus.
Phoenix, Beaver and Crab characters may
purchase this Advantage for 2 points.
ZERO-G TRAINING [PHYSICAL] (2 POINTS)
The character has a +0k1 die when acting in a
zero-g atmosphere or trying to resist the vertigo
weightlessness.
AMNESIAC [MENTAL] (4 OR 8 POINTS)
You don’t remember from where you come from
or even who you are. This disadvantage at
character creation worth 4 points only and you
begin play without any basic school. All of your
skill rolls are considered unskilled rolls (See core
rules p.80).
During a campaign, it worth 8 points and you are
not affected by any previous mental or social
advantage or disadvantage and cannot benefit
from an ancestor. Though a combination of
bushi and shugenja schools is normally not
allowed, you can achieve it as long as you don’t
remember how to cast a spell. You can also learn
a technique from only one different school from
your basic original one without the Multiple
School advantage.
CORPULENT [PHYSICAL] (2-6 POINTS)
Your appetites have led to a diminished speed.
For each two points spent on this Disadvantage,
your movement rate decreases by 5’ (below the
normal Water x5’ for Free Move Action or x10’
for Simple Move Action per round). At 6 points
your clothes and armors need to be specially
tailored for you.
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CRUEL [MENTAL] (3 POINTS)
Your cruelty need not manifest itself as physical,
though it may very well be. You suffer a -1k1
penalty on all Social Skill rolls and Honor rolls.
FORTUNES OF FOOD CURSES [SPIRITUAL]
(4POINTS)
Curse of Toyoyuke-Omikami (Panda):
You have a -1k0 penalty to all etiquette
rolls for the first hour of meeting
people. If you stay longer than an hour,
the penalty rises to -1k1 on Etiquette
rolls and -1k0 on all other social rolls.
In addition, if you stay longer than a
day all grains in a radius of 100 feet x
Void tends to grow sickly, wither, or
spoil. This effect reduces yields by
roughly 10%, or 1 Koku of grain per
field/store room.
Curse of Kojin (Panda): Any time you
prepare food you must take a Raise for
no effect and if you fail a roll or do not
call a raise, the food burst into flames at
some point during the cooking process
(this includes plating). Regardless, even
if the individual succeeds, the food will
be unappetizing. If Kojin or the GM
allows, you may call four raises to make
food that is actually tasty, though most
people familiar with the person's
cooking will find it hard to believe he
or she prepared the tasty meal.
DARK SECRET: MUTATION [PHYSICAL AND
SOCIAL] (4 POINTS)
The terrible weaponry unleashed during the wars
left many parts of Rokugan devoid of life and
filled with radiation. This has caused some
minor mutations in those whose ancestors were
in those areas during the War. Mutation will
leave some noticeable mark upon the character,
a foul blemish or disfigurement that cannot be
cured. You suffer a -1g0 to resist to cancers and
other diseases, and will be a freak and an outcast
if his mutation is discovered.
DEAF [PHYSICAL] (3 POINTS)
The character cannot hear without special
equipment. Any skill rolls involving hearing
automatically fail. On the other hand, the
character may purchase Read Lips advantage for
1 point, and is considered to be fluent in sign
language.
ILLITERATE [SOCIAL] (2 POINTS)
The character cannot read and not write. This
creates quite a few barriers in modern society -
no newspapers, no road signs, and NO
computers.
MEDDLER [SOCIAL] (3 POINTS)
You cannot resist getting into another people's
business. You suffer a +5 TN penalty to all
Courtier and Etiquette Skill rolls.
NIHILIST [SOCIAL] (2 POINTS)
Life sucks. Industrialization brought nothing but
ruin to the world, and you hate it. You've come
to be cynical and disillusioned, and believe that
life doesn't have a point beyond escapism. You're
more than happy to forget about life in opium or
sake or even worse. Not an addiction, though,
yet…
OLD/ VENERABLE [PHYSICAL] (4/8 POINTS)
Progress in medical has maintained you alive but
your age has advanced beyond the easy fitness of
youth. You suffer a penalty of +5 TN to all
Agility and Strength Skill and Trait Rolls if
you’re old. The penalty increases to +10 to TN if
you’re venerable and your Water Ring is
considered 1 lower for the purposes of movement
Trait roll with a TN of 25 or else spend twice as
long preparing your appearance for the day.
When you interact with a character who has not
either complimented or praised your beauty
(regardless of if you are worthy of such praise),
you take a penalty of -1k0 to all Contested
Social rolls with that character.
This Disadvantage is worth 4 points to
characters with the Dangerous Beauty
Advantage.
ZERO-G ILLNESS [PHYSICAL] (2 POINTS)
The character has a -0k2 die when acting in a
zero-g atmosphere or trying to resist the vertigo
weightlessness.

PARANOID [SOCIAL] (3 POINTS)

You have a "list." Anyone who displeases you or
does something remotely suspicious is obviously
out to get you. They go on the "list." You'll show
them. You'll get them. You'll NEVER trust
them. In game terms, the character must make a
Willpower Check vs TN of 15 whenever the
GM determines that their character may be
suspicious of someone. If they fail, they must
spend a Void point to do so temporarily thrust
anyone, and may seek revenge for imagined
slights. On the plus side, the character gets a free
raise on all attempts to detect ambush.

TECHNOPHOBE [MENTAL] (3 POINTS)

The character simply cannot adapt to modern
technology. While she may use and own it, she
does not like it and tends to accidentally break
delicate items with frequency. The character
suffers a -1g0 malus to use any modern device. If
this disadvantage is chosen, the character may
choose to have basic fluency with either the
computer or automatic transmission
automobiles, but not with both.

TOTALLY TECHNOPHOBE [MENTAL] (9 POINTS)

The character has no basic fluency with either
modern technology and suffers a -3g0 malus to
use any modern device. For example, she had to
make Intelligence checks just to turn a computer
or a car on.

VAIN [MENTAL] (3 POINTS)

You are particularly obsessive about your
appearance, and associate your own worth with
it. Every morning, you must make a Willpower

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