Bushi

A pair of childhood friends from rival families stood in the center of a
resplendant court decorated in the finest silks and bamboo. They compete for
the favor of their empress, each hoping to impress her and the members of her
court with the exacting design of their calligraphy and the velvet flourish of
their poetry. Both enjoy the fruis of her labor – a chaste kiss and a kind word –
and by the evening neither remembers which one of them was named the
victor as they share in another night's drink.
That said, a loss of honor does not necessarily inform the bushi's end. Training
even a low-level bushi becomes a considerable investment of time and money,
and no sane daimyo would throw such a resource away like paper. Given
that the measure of their honor is a byzantine mire, affected by the actions
of relatives and associates as well as by their own deeds, it would be
dishonorable for a lord to measure disgrace against the bushi without
giving them an opportunity to atone.

Her silver armor shining in the light of the moon, a war hero strides proudly
before the march of nearly one thousand of her clan's finest samurai. She is
briefly thankful for the men-yoroi that covers the quick twinge of disgust that
befouls noble features as she watches the hobgoblin army approach, their ranks
a perverse mockery of her people's proud samurai warriors. Within charging
distance, both forces hold their advance and allow their commanders to meet.
Vile monsters they may be, at least they understand enough of honor to
observe traditional battlefield greetings.

A lone figure solemnly wanders the blackened husk of his former village. He
walks in disgrace at the memory of having abandoned his fellow warriors as
the flames of invasion swallowed his lord's castle. Now he calls himself ronin
and continues to fight battles that have long-been lost, against an enemy that
no longer exists, to reclaim his honor through victory in a war that no one else
yet fights.

Bushi are an exotic and awe-inspiring sight to behold, warriors driven to the
brink of madness in battle by their intense devotion to their lord and reigned in
by their dedication to the pursuit of honor. Theirs is an illustrious rank of
courtly knights, not mere soldiers or simple brawlers – a bushi must be as
skilled with her weapons when she marches to war as she is with her tongue or
her tools when she returns from it. For there is no such thing as true peace for
the bushi, whose life is defined by the honor and prestige she already holds
and the obsession with cultivating further influence through her deeds.

A Life of Vigilance
The life of the bushi is one of sacrifice, service, and honor. Before any other
duty, all bushi were beholden to their lord. The orders of these figures are
absolute and beyond reproach, and for most bushi the very thought of
questioning their authority is as horrifying as losing a limb.

Next, the bushi must answer to her daimyo. These warlords are elder,
experienced bushi who own vast tracts of land. In exchange for allowing less
affluent families of bushi to live on that land and govern the lower classes that
live there, the daimyo is owed the family's loyalty and a regular tribute of the
resources and coin that land produces. In return, the daimyo is expected to
support the bushi families who tend his land and to provide them with
protection against powerful enemies or monsters. Bushi might also serve their
daimyo abroad, assigned to act as ambassadors and messengers, surveyors of
his interests and assets across the world, and enforcers of his will.
As if navigating the byzantine array of alliances and rivalries between daimyo
and the queen were not enough, the bushi must also ensure that her actions
reflect favorably on the honor and integrity of her family. Familiel piety is a
powerful moral directive for many cultures that might produce bushi in large
numbers, and it is important that the bushi not stain the reputation or damage
the influence of her family by acting in a manner that would be seen as
disgraceful or without honor.
Lastly, the bushi must juggle all of these responsibilities while also mantaining
her own personal honor in the eyes of her peers, her lessers, and her betters. A
code of honorable conduct known as bushido strictly codifies acceptable
behavior among the bushi and by following these commandments a bushi can
achieve spiritual purity and flex incredible social influence, which separates
them from the common soldier or thug. If through action or inaction she
allows herself to perform dishonoranbly, then she loses face with her
community and subsequently loses much of the influence she once wielded.
Death Before Dishonor
Whatever your personal ambitions, as a bushi you are expected to conduct
yourself with honor and decency. Honor and decency for the bushi, however,
have more to do with cultural conventions and maintaining social order than
they do with the traditional ideas of good or evil prevalent in other lands.
Ultimately the bushi serves the needs of their daimyo with unquestioning
loyalty, and it is this expectation of unwavering respect that informs their
overall sense of right and wrong. How they reconcile the demands of their
daimyo with their sense of morality depends on a number of factors, including
alignment, the needs of their daimyo, and their level of personal discipline.
Still, any bushi worth their title will follow through with even the most ruthless
orders in their pursuit of honor.
It is only particularly egregious breaches of bushido that threaten the stability
of the bushi's culture, and subsequently demand a seemingly extreme response.
Rebellion against one's daimyo, assaulting a social superior, failing to defend
the life of one's lord, and other crimes beget such incredible dishonor that
recovery may only be found by seppeku – a form of ritualized suicide.
Creating a Bushi
As you create your bushi, consider how their upbringing, social class, and even
their race might impact their view of bushido and approach to its teachings.
Historically, bushi formed a specific strata of landless warriors within the
samurai, noble-born families in fuedal Japan. These families served similar
roles to the noble houses of medieval Europe – land-owning nobles
responsible for ruling over and protecting the serfs who worked their lands.
Bushi from kingdoms that emulate this strict caste system are typically drawn
from the ranks of nobility as well. They are generally lawful by nature,
although their position on the good-vs-evil axis helps to inform their view of
the castes below theirs and how staunchly they live up to their role as
protectors and leaders of the lesser peoples. An innate understanding of social
structures follows them even into foreign lands, but they sometimes have
difficulty with abstract thought.
Lands with looser hierarchies and a considerable amount of social mobility
produce more philosophically-inclined bushi, and may or may not hold noble
lineage as a requirement. The daimyo's of such bushi may be religious or
cultural leaders rather than political ones. Entire academies dedicated to
churning out these highly-disciplined warriors could exist in such places.
Quick Build
You can make a bushi quickly by following these suggestions. First, make
Charisma your highest ability score, followed by either Strength if you prefer
melee combat or Dexterity if you favor the honorable pursuit of archery.
Second, choose either the noble knight or the soldier background.
If your campaign uses the optional Honor ability score, focus on that ability
first. Place your second-highest score into Charisma, and your third-highest Class Features
into Strength or Dexterity. Bushi gain the following special abilities as they acquire levels.

The Bushi
Game Rule Information Level Prof. Bonus Features Honor
Bushi share the following basic statistics. 1 +2 Challenge, Unarmored Defense --
2 +2 Bushi Tradition, Honor, Lord 2
3 +2 Fighting Style 3
Hit Dice 4
5
+2
+3
Ability Score Improvement
Extra Attack
4
5
The bushi gains a d8 HD per class level. 6 +3 Bushi Tradition feature 6
7 +3 Discipline 7
8 +3 Ability Score Improvement 8
HP at 1st Level. 8 + Constitution modifier. 9 +4 Fearsome Aspect 9
10 +4 Bushi Tradition feature 10
HP at Each Subsequent Level. 1d8 (5) + Constitution modifier. 11 +4 Additional Fighting Style 11
12 +4 Ability Score Improvement 12
13 +5 Improved Discipline 13
Proficiencies 14
15
+5
+5
Bushi Tradition feature
Improved Fighting Style
14
15
Bushi gain the following proficiencies at 1st level. 16 +5 Ability Score Improvement 16
17 +6 Fearsome Presence 17
18 +6 Bushi Tradition feature 18
Saving Throws 19 +6 Ability Score Improvement 19
The bushi is proficient with Constitution and Charisma * saving throws. 20 +6 Greater Discipline 20

Skills Charisma or Honor

The bushi gains any two of the following options: Acrobatics, Animal
Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, and Persuasion.
Tools
The bushi is proficient in her choice of any one set of artisan's tools or in one
musical instrument.
Chapter 9 of the DMG offers guidelines for introducing the "Honor" ability
score. The Honor score is well-suited for use in campaigns where all or most
of the player characters are bushi or are otherwise subject to Lamiran customs.
Whenever the Honor score is in use, replace any reference to Charisma in this
class description with Honor if that reference is marked by an asterisk (*).

Armor
The bushi is proficient with all light armor and medium armor, as well as
shields.
Weapons
The bushi is proficient with all simple weapons and all martial weapons.
Equipment
Bushi start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted
to her by her choice of background.
• (a) chainmail or (b) studded leather and a set of artisan's tools.
• (a) a shortbow and 20 arrows or (b) a versatile melee weapon.
• (a) a two-handed melee weapon or (b) a light melee weapon.
• (a) diplomat's pack or (b) explorer's pack or (c) scholar's pack.
Code of Bushido
All bushi are sworn to the Way of the Warrior, and take great pains to uphhold
its principles. But bushido is about more than just battlefield conduct; it is a
spiritual and moral philosophy that requires a lifetime of commitment to truly
understand. The exact tenents of bushido can vary between cultures, and even
between generations, but generally adhere to the following principles.
Loyalty
Bushi are nothing without loyalty. Their word is absolute, and so must be
given with extreme care; to violate a freely given oath displays selfishness or
cowardice. The bushi's loyalties are to their lord above all else, but also to the
interests of their family and allies. The bushi must also be loyal to their
inferiors, ruling over them with wisdom and never abandoning them to danger.
Integrity
Bushi must always be righteous and decisive in action. This does not mean
that they must remain saintly or innocent, and in fact bushi must don the
countenance of Hell as often as Heaven in the pursuit of duty. Rather, their
cause must always ring clear with truth; truth with themselves, truth with those
that command their service, and truth between themselves and the universe.
Such truth creates a harmony of thought and deed that casts out weakness.
Respect
Respect is the economy upon which the world turns, and a bushi must cultivate
a wealth of it. Respect in the eyes of a bushi means acknowledging the proper
place and role of another and treating them in accordance with that role.
Benevolence is shown to those beholden to the bushi's banner, a foe's danger
and skill is acknowledged during combat, and the bushi almost always humbly
defers to recognized authority.
Challenge
Starting at 1st level you may deliver a challenge to another's honor and
discipline with witty tongueplay or a cutting remark. As an action you target
one creature within 40 feet of yourself and challenge them either to a courtier's
challenge or a warrior's challenge. The effects of each of which are detailed
below. You can only challenge a foe if you can see them, if they have an
Intelligence score of 3 or greater, and if you share a language with them.
Challenging an invalid target wastes the attempt to no effect.
When you challenge a foe the two of you make contested Charisma * checks. If
your opponent wins the contest then youur challenge is rebuffed. If you win
the contest, your target must choose either to accept the challenge or to reject it
an take an amount of psychic damage equal to your class level + your
proficiency bonus as their ego is shattered.
After you declare a challenge you must complete a long rest before doing so
again. At 9th level you must complete a short rest between challenges, and at
17th level you may declare up to two challenges before you must rest and
recuperate. You may only have one challenge actively declared at a time,
abandoning a former challenge to declare a new one, but you may participate
in any number of challenges levied against you.
Courtier's Challenge
A Courtier's Challenge denounce your rival's personal skill, social ettiquette,
or moral integrity. At least two intelligent creatures that will not act in the
challnege must be present to witness it being declared and accepted.
Additionally, a neutral third party must be declared to judge the challenge's
results. The victor of a courtier's challenge enjoys a temporary but significant
boost in fame and social standing for a number of days equal to their
proficiency bonus. During this time they can buy and sell equipment and
goods at a 25% improvement in price and they gain advantage on Charisma-
based ability checks made in relation to anyone who is aware of their victory.
As an optional rule, the DM may decide that a courtier's challenge cannot be
declared against a rival whose Charisma * is at least four points greater or lesser
than your own. Characters* with Charisma scores significantly higher than
your own are simply beyond your ability to insult or threaten, while there is no
honor to be gained by bullying those with Charisma * scores significantly lower
than your own.
Conditions of the Challenge
When you declare a courtier's challenge, you have the right to decide the
terms. The following are key features of a challenge, though you might
consider additional rules as well. Or you can let your rival or the judge declare
the terms. Doing so is a way of posturing – proving your composure and
confidence in your skill – and grants advantage on any one ability check you
make in relation to the challenge.
Type of Skill or Tool. Select the skill or tool check to be measured;
participants typically compete using the same skill to prove who has a greater
mastery of that skill, but the challenge can allow a contest using different skills
or talents.
Number of Contestants. Generally, only you and your target participate in a
challenge. If you allow multiple participants on a side, each can render
whatever aid is at their disposal (using the Help action, providing financial
support, and so on). Depending on the terms of the challenge, they may
instead each be required to make their own checks as part of the contest.
Period of Contest. You must decide how long the challenge will last, as well
as where and when it will take place. This might be as simple as "The next
dawn before the Temple of the Sun."
Terms of Success. You must decide how the challenge declares a winner. A
single-check challenge between two contestants probably has a simple term of
success – whoever wins the opposed check. In a challenge that requires
multiple ability checks, victory can be defined as the lion's share of successful
checks, or only if a contestant wins every check, and so on.
Warrior's Challenge
A Warrior's Challenge makes mockery of your rival's skill at arms, the
bravery of their spirit, or the righteousness of their cause. A rival that answers
your challenge suffers disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks related to
any creature that isn't you. Furthermore, they cannot use the Disengage action
against you. These penalties last until the end of the challenge.
The victor of a warrior's challenge is the first to reduce their opponent to 0 hit
points or score a critical hit against them, at which point the effects of the
challenge end. If the encounter ends before either condition is met, then there
is no victor.
A character that claims victory in the warrior's challenge can add a single +5
bonus to a weapon attack or damage roll, or to their Armor Class, as a reaction
during their next encounter as long as that encounter occurs before they finish
a long rest.
Unarmored Defense
Also at 1st level you are surrounded by an air of calm discipline, and you seem
above and beyond the ken of mortal men. When you are not wearing any
armor or using a shield, your AC is equal to 10 + your Dexterity modifier +
your Charisma* modifier.
Bushi Tradition
When you reach 2nd level, you fully commit yourself to the code of bushido.
No two bushi interpret the teachings of the code in the same way, and you
must decide how and why you are committed to its teachings. Choose one of
the following traditions: Ancestral, Kensai, Noble, Ronin, Villainous, or
Virtuous. Each is detailed at the end of the class description.
The tradition you choose grants you a unique feature at 2 nd level, and again
every 4 class levels thereafter (6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th).
Tradition and Alignment. Selecting your bushi tradition may seem to fall in
line with your character's alignment, but it does not necessarily have to follow
suit. It defines the context through which your bushi views not only the code
of bushido, but all of the world as it relates to the code.
Your choice of tradition can also inform your character's opinion of other
bushi. While members of each tradition generally see only their school of
thought as the "true way," they generally see one another as equals in skill if
not in discipline. Each tradition has its opposite, though, and bushi between
them form extreme, life-long impressions of their peers.
Ancestral bushi oppose kensai, noble bushi oppose ronin, and virtuous bushi
oppose villainous bushi.
Honor
Also at 2nd level the bushi teachings unify your body, mind and spirit. A vital
essence is distilled from your conviction to the code of bushido, your
unwavering loyalty to your daimyo, and the indomitable might of your fighting
spirit. Harnessing this energy lets you focus it to a blade's edge in various
parts of your mind and body to unleash powerful effects.
You gain a pool of Honor, with a maximum number of points equal to your
bushi level. A variety of features that bushi gain consume points from this
pool; at 2nd level, all bushi gain those three features listes below. Points spent
from this pool are replenished after the bushi completes at least 30 minutes of
quiet meditation following a successful long rest.
If an honor feature allows for a saving throw, the DC of that save is equal to 8
+ your proficiency bonus + your Charisma * modifier.
Honorable Retreat
[honor]
Whenever you are the subject of an opportunity attack for moving out of a
hostile creature's threatened space, you can spend 1 point of Honor. That
attack roll is made with a penalty equal to your Charisma * bonus, if any
(minimum -1 penalty). You cannot perform an Honorable Retreat and use
the Disengage action on the same turn.
Iajutsu Expertise
[honor]
When you draw your weapon as part of an Attack action, you can declare any
of the attack rolls you make as part of that action to be iajutsu attacks. Each
iajutsu attack consumes 1 point of Honor and is made with advantage against
creatures with a lower initiative result than yourself.
Pusuit of Honor
[honor]
When you make an ability check that is modified by one of your skill or tool
proficiencies, you may spend 1 point of Honor to double your proficiency
bonus for that check as long as your proficiency bonus is not already doubled.
Lord
Also at 2nd level you swear allegience to your daimyo, or lord, to whom you
owe your unwavering trust and allegience. Your lord is the epitome of
everything that you hold true and just in the world, and has the following
effects on you. Any saving throw you make to resist these effects has a DC of
8 + your lord's proficiency bonus + their Charisma* modifier.
• You are always Charmed by your lord. By accepting one level of
Exhaustion, you can attempt a Wisdom save as a bonus action to
resist this effect until the end of your next turn. If you spend 2
points of Honor as part of this save, you do not suffer Exhaustion.
• While adjacent to your lord, you provide them with a constant +2
bonus to their AC and all of their saving throws. As a reaction,
your lord can increase this bonus to +4, causing you to suffer a -2
penalty to your own AC and saving throws; these modifiers last
until the start of your next turn.
• As an action, your lord can give you a special command as long as
you are within 60 feet of them and can clearly understand them.
This functions as a non-magical effect similar to the command
spell, but the command can consist of a total number of words
equal to your lord's proficiency bonus. In this manner they can
give you a more complex command or order you to perform
multiple simple tasks in the order the commands are given.
Work with your DM to determine the identity of your lord. Typically only
nobles or military leaders command the service of bushi. You might be
devoted to a loved one or a family member, you might be sworn to the service
of a spiritual leader, or you could even fall under the command of a council
and be forced to treat each of them as your lord.
Another player character is likely a poor choice because it creates an
imbalance of power between the two of you that may be uncomfortable or
provide an opportunity for abuse and harrassment. You should carefully
consider the ramifications of this option with the player in question. It is not
unreasonable to set some out-of-character boundaries or limitations on how
your character's lord will make use of their power.
Fighting Style
At 3rd level you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose
one of the following options. You'll get to choose a second at 11 th level, but
keep in mind that you can't select the same option more than once.
Archery
You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
Charging
When you use the Attack action after moving at least 10 feet in a straight line,
the attack roll gains a cumulative +1 bonus for every tenth foot you moved;
this bonus cannot exceed your proficiency bonus and only benefits melee
attacks. Until the start of your next turn, attack rolls made against you gain
advantage. Only one attack each round can benefit from this fighting style.
Great Weapon Mastery
When you roll a 1 or a 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee
weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die. You must
use the new roll, even if the new roll is also a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have
the two-handed or versatile property to gain this benefit.
Mounted Combat
While you are riding on your mount, you can use a reaction when an attack roll
is made against it to add your proficiency bonus to the mount's AC. You may
declare your intent after your enemy makes their attack roll, but must do so
before the DM rules the attack a success or failure.
Improved Fighting Style
When you reach 15th level, your experiences refine your favored battle forms.
Select one of the options below. Each requires one or more basic Fighting
Styles as a prerequisite.
Bajutsu
Prerequisite: Mounted Combat Style
You can spend 1 hour tending to your mount. This strengthens your mount
against harm and creates a powerful bond between you. These benefits remain
until you finish a long rest or until you or your mount are reduced to 0 hp.

Two-Weapon Fighting
While fighting with two weapons, you can add your ability modifier to damage
when you attack with your second weapon.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level,
you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two
ability scores of your choice by 1. You can't incease an ability score above 20
using this feature.
While armored, your mount becomes resistant to bludgeoning, piercing, and
slashing damage. It uses its own values or yours, whichever are greater, for its
hit point maximum, armor class, and proficiency bonus. Lastly, you and your
mount always know the accurate direction towards each other as long as you
remain on the same plane; by using a bonus action to call out, you cause your
mount to return to your side from any distance. Your mount will travel up to
its normal overland movement in a day in this manner.
Dragon Rush
Prerequisite: Charging Style

Honor
Every aspect of a bushi's life is measured against their honor. Great care must
be taken with every word, deed, and thought, and their discipline often borders
on the obsessive. Unlike characters of other classes, the Ability Score
Improvement of a bushi can increase the Honor score.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level you can attack twice, instead of once, when you take the
Attack action on your turn.
You share the sinuous and explosive grace of the winged lords. When you
perform your Charge Attack action, you can change direction once during the
movement of your charging attack. If you don't change directions, you can use
your bonus action as part of your Attack action to gain advantage on your
choice of either one attack or one damage roll; you must make this choice
before rolling for either.
Kyudo
Prerequisite: Archery Style

Discipline
[honor]
7th level brings with it a daily series of meditations and self-imposed
challanges designed to test and train your focus. After a while, you learn how
to strengthen your resolve with that discipline.
When you roll for a saving throw, you can use a reaction to spend 2 points of
Honor and add your proficiency bonus to it. If you are proficient with the save
in question, you instead double it for that saving throw. You can choose to call
upon your Discipline up to just before the DM declares the result of your roll;
if you still fail the save, you cannot use any honor features again until you
complete a short rest or longer.
You gain a third range increment – extreme range – with any ranged attack.
This increment is 50% greater than what is normally long range for the
weapon. Attacks made at extreme range are at disadvantage and cannot score
critical hits. If you are hiding, a missed attack at this range does not
automatically reveal your location.
Lunging Strike
Prerequisite: Charging Style, Great Weapon Fighting Style
If you are wielding a weapon in two hands when you charge, you can perform
a lunging strike as part of that Attack action. This doubles your reach with that
weapon, but prevents you from taking reactions. These modifiers last until the
start of your next turn.

Monkey Grip
Fearsome Aspect Prerequisite: Great Weapon Fighting Style, Two-Weapon Fighting Style
[honor]
You can wield a weapon that has the two-handed property in one hand. Attack
At 9th level you can use your action to inspire terror in your foes. Choose one rolls made with a weapon so wielded suffer a -2 penalty if made as part of an
creature within 60 feet of you that can see or hear you. The target becomes action, or a -4 penalty if made as part of a bonus action.
frightened for 1 minute if they fail a Wisdom save; they may attempt an
additional saving throw on their turn as an action each round for this duration
to end the effect. A creature that successfully saves versus your Fearsome
Aspect cannot be affected again until they complete a short rest or longer.

If you choose to spend 3 points of Honor when you call on your Fearsome
Aspect, a frightened creature can attempt only the initial saving throw.

Additional Fighting Style

At 11th level, you can choose a second Fighting Style. If you gained a
Fighting Style feature from a class other than bushi that offers different
choices than those listed above, you can select one of those choices instead.

Improved Discipline
[honor]

At 14th level, your focus is honed to an edge sharper than any blade; it even
cuts through magical assaults on your person.

When you fail a saving throw and take on a condition, you can spend 4 points
of Honor as a reaction to negate it. When an effect would cause you to suffer a
condition with no saving throw, then each time you call upon your Improved
Discipline the effects of that condition are postponed until the start of your
next turn; this time counts against the duration of that condition.
Nitojutsu
Prerequisite: Two-Weapon Fighting Style
When you use a bonus action to attack with a second weapon, you can make
one additional attack roll with that weapon. You benefit from this fighting
style only if your second weapon has the light property.
Tetsubojutsu
Prerequisite: Great Weapon Fighting style
You inflict a serious injury when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon
that has the two-handed property. Each such wound reduces a victim's
proficiency bonus by 1 point (even allowing for a negative proficieny bonus).
After completing a long rest a creature recovers from 1 of these wounds. After
completing an extended rest, the creature recovers from all of them.
Someone proficient with the Medicine skill can consume 1 use of a healer's kit
to attempt surgical treatment of these wounds. Such a surgery takes 1d4+1
hours, and carries a Wisdom (Medicine) DC of 20. If the check fails by more
than 5, the victim actually suffers an additional wound!
At the end of each hour of surgery, the patient must make a DC 14
Constitution saving throw or contract a disease randomly determined by the
DM. In particularly unsanitary conditions (a filthy environment, using
improperly sanitized tools, and so on), the patient suffers disadvantage on this
save; in particularly sanitary conditions (a sterilized environment, using fresh
tools, and so on), they enjoy advantage.
Yabusame
Prerequisite: Archery Style, Mounted Combat Style
While mounted, you quickly unleash a hail storm of missile attacks.
Yabusame can affect any ranged weapon attack that you make as part of the
Attack action, as long as the weapon used doesn't have the loading property.
Each attack you choose to modify deals one additional die of damage at the
cost of one extra piece of ammunition. This extra die of damage applies even
if the attack roll misses with any result other than a natural 1.
Fearsome Presence
[honor]
Starting at 17th level, you can inspire true terror on the battlefield. Each time
you call upon your Fearsome Aspect feature, you may spend 5 points of honor
and choose one of the following options:
• Impose disadvantage on the target's saving throw.
• Each round the target remains frightened of you, they take psychic
damage equal to your class level at the start of their turn.
• Target up to 5 creatures within 30 feet of you. Each target enjoys
advantage on their saving throw.
Greater Discipline
[honor]
At 20th level your unbreakable focus and unyielding loyalty allow you to
shackle your fleeing spirit to the earth in the face of death. When reduced to 0
hit points or when you start your turn conscious with 0 hit points, you may
spend 1 point of Honor to remain conscious until the start of your next turn.
During this time you act nomally and are not subject to death saves.
In addition, you may spend 2 points of Honor in lieu of any death save. This
does not count as a success, or as a failure; you simply don't attempt a saving
throw that round.
Bushi Traditions
All bushi are sworn to the code of bushido, but each is loyal to their own
interpretation of its tenents. The many approaches can generally be distilled
into the six following disciplines. The bushi tradition you choose reflects your
character's connection to the code and how it affects their view of the world.
Once you devote yourself to a particular path that decision is permanent.
The only exception to this is the Ronin tradition, to which a bushi may defect
at any time. Bearing the mantle of ronin carries certain social stigma,
especially for those who abandon their duties in order to pursue it, and a bushi
of the Ronin tradition can almost never replace it with any other. The decision
to become ronin is one of immense gravity and should not be taken lightly.
Ancestral Bushi
Laid out before you is a path well-tread, and in that road you see the footprints
of all those who paved the way. Your connection to the code of bushido is a
deeply personal one, for it connects you to the spirits of all your ancestors. In
some ways, you became a bushi because there was nothing else you would
become – a long line of bushi defines your lineage.
Ancestral bushi feel the pressure of living up to the accomplishments and
expectations of their ancestors as keenly as they do those of the living. It is
not sufficient to be "good enough." You are driven to prove yourself worthy of
your lineage, and may be more willing to take risks in order to escape the
shadow of your ancestors' and inspire legends of your own.
None of this means you can't also feel pressed into service. You may happily
answer the call or you may deeply resent that you had no real choices as you
grew up. In either case you pay your respects because with that devotion
comes great power – you can call on the lessons and wisdom left behind by
those who came before to overcome the challanges ahead of you.
Invoke Ancestral Spirit
[honor]
At 2nd level you learn to free your mind and hear the echoing whispers of the
knowledge of your ancestors, invoking their spirits and allowing the collective
sum of their experiences to flow through you.
You can invoke an ancestral spirit at the cost of 1 Honor. You are subject to
the following changes for the next minute:
• The guidance of your ancestors delivers you from harm, adding
your proficiency bonus to your Armor Class.
• You gain resistance to necrotic and radiant damage.
• You are immune to banishment and similar effects. The first time
you are affected by one, you lose your invoked spirit instead.
• You lose your invoked spirit if you are incapacitated or if you
violate a particular taboo as decreed by the spirit.
Guru
This ancestor defined themself by a need to contemplate and understand the
secrets and mysteries of the cosmos, whether they were a devout priest, a
troubled hero, an enlightened philosopher, or even a woke spirutalist.
Invocation. You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make a Wisdom-
based check to gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill. The spirit
grants you a +5 bonus to all passive checks and always knows when someone
is being deceitful or duplicitous, although it doesn't automatically know why
they are lying or what the truth may be.
Taboo. A guru spirit loathes dishonesty with the self or with the cosmos, and
so flees you if you lie (either directly or through omission) and if you allow
yourself to be the target of an illusion or transmutation spell or effect.
Laborer
This ancestor defined themself by the value of a hard day's work. They may
have been a skilled craftsman, a tough farmer, or even a loyal servant.
Invocation. You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make an
Constitution-based check to gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill.
The spirit grants you proficiency with any two tools and also increases your
carrying capacity by 50%.
Taboo. The spirit disdains the "easy living" of the wealthy and elite, and
cannot be invoked while you lead a lifestyle of wealthy or better. It despises
laziness, and flees if you do not use at least half of your movement in a round
or if you use magic to control another creature's actions.
Mediator
This ancestor defined themself by what they accomplished with dialogue
instead of violence, whether they were a famous entertainer, a smooth
diplomat, a rebellious demagogue, or even an inspiring officer.
Invocation. You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make a Charisma-
based check to gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill. The spirit can
psychically sense the immediate and short-term desires of any individual
within your line of sight and tells you what you can do or say to earn their
trust; in effect, the DM will tell what you might quickly do to gain advantage
on any Charisma-based check you want to make in regards to them.
Taboo. The mediator spirit abhors violence and flees if you take the Attack
action against a foe that has not attacked you first, or if you cast a spell or use
a magic item that deals damage or inflicts a harmful condition.
Sage
This ancestor defined themself by a voracious hunger for truth. They might
have been a beloved teacher, a peerless scholar, an advanced mage, or even a
detailed investigator.
Invocation. You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make an
Intelligence-based check to gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill. The
spirit grants allows you to read and speak all you both fluency and literacy
with all languages except for secret ones (such as druidic or thieves' cant).
Taboo. A sage spirit cannot abide ignorance and flees if you destroy an object
or instrument of learning, such as a rare tome or a series of culturally relevant
documents. The spirit also flees you if you lie or conceal the truth.
Scoundrel
This ancestor defined themself by self-indulgence, whether they were common
crimimals, nefarious masterminds, charming rapscallions, or cunning con-
artists.
Invocation. You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make a Dexterity-
based check to gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill. The spirit
increases all of your speeds by 10 feet and also grants advantage on any saving
throw you make to resist the effects of the Lord feature.
Taboo. A scoundrel spirit believes in looking out for itself and outwitting foes,
so it flees you if you use the Help action or if you fail a Deception check. The
spirit still fears justice and reprisal for its sins, and so flees you end your turn
adjacent to a character you know to be a member of law enforcement or
capable of casting divine spells.
Warrior
This ancestor defined themself through armed conflict, whether they were a
successful adventurer, a callous mercenary, a powerful warlord, or even a
gifted tactician.
Invocation. You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make a Strength-
based check to gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill. The spirit
grants you proficiency with all simple and martial weapons.
Taboo. A warrior spirit scorns dishonorable conduct and cowardice in battle.
It flees you if you use the Disengage or Dash actions to flee a fight, or if you
reject another bushi's warrior's challenge.
Heraldic Knowledge
At 6th level, your studies into your own lineage have revealed a complicated
web of alliances, marriages, rivalries, and hostilities between your ancestors
and others. These friendships and grudges may have begun in the past, but
they are very real today and you can use them to better understand your peers.
When you use your downtime to perform research into another family that can
count one or more bushi in its lineage, you do so in half the time it would take
others and at no cost to yourself. You can leverage the fruits of successful
research against those families to earn a place to sleep, a meal, private
information, or some other minor boon.
Manifest Ancestral Spirit
[honor]
At 10th level, the connection between you and your ancestors grows stronger.
The line between you blurs and at times even you do not know where you end
and they begin. Before the presence of an invoked spirit was barely noticeable
– a light otherworldly breeze around you, a glowing sheen to your flesh. Now
your countenance takes on their traits and you passably resemble them.
When you would invoke an ancestral spirit, you can spend 1 additional point
of Honor in order to manifest it for the invocation duration. While manifesting
a spirit, you gain all the effects of invoking it as well as the following changes:
• Individuals that know the identity of the spirit you've manifested
might recognize their presence within you by a successful Wisdom
(Insight) check contested by your Charimsa (Deception) check if
you have any interest in concealing such information.
• A manifested spirit imposes all of the changes as an invoked spirit,
in addition to a new effect based on its type. A manifested spirit
has the same duration as an invoked one.
• Once during the time a spirit is manifested, you can allow it to fully
possess you and take control of your body or it can force the issue
and wresting control of your body if you fail a Charisma save. The
spirit replaces your mental ability scores with its own as determined
by the DM, but otherwise uses your statistics and abilities. The
DM treats your character as an NPC for the next 1d4 hours,
ignoring the usual duration of a manifested spiriit, and you have no
memory of what occurs during this time.
Guru
Your spirit grants you advantage on saving throws against spells and other
magical effects. If your saving throw exceeds the DC by 5 or more, and the
spell or effect specifcally targeted you, then it is reflected back on its source if
the source is a viable target within the spell's range.
Laborer
You cannot become exhausted or suffer damage to your ability scores. If you
are previously exhausted before you began to invoke your spirit, then the
effects of exhaustion are suspended until the spirit flees you.
Mediator
You can bolster an ally's resolve with words of encouragement, and you can
shatter an enemy's ego with cutting derision. You can spend 1 or more points
of Honor as an action and target any one creature within 30 feet of you that can
clearly see and hear you.
If you encourage the target, they recover 1d4 lost hit points per point of Honor
you spent; you cannot raise a creature over their maximum hit points in this
way. If you discourage them, they instead suffer 1d4 points of Psychic damage
per point of Honor; a creature that cannot be Charmed or Frightened is
immune to this damage.
Sage
You can use the Search action against one creature you can clearly see to suss
out their strategy. You make an Intelligence (Investigation) check, against a
DC of 8 + the target's Charisma modifier + their Proficiency bonus.
On a successful check, you successfully intuit their immediate plans and
counter them; the target cannot take a reaction on their next turn. If you beat
the DC by 5 or more, they also can't take a bonus action; if you beat the DC by
10 or more, they also can't take an action.
Scoundrel
Whenever you are the sole target of an attack roll or spell, you can use your
reaction to switch places with an adjacent creature. The target creature now
becomes the target of the attack or spell if a legal target, otherwise the effect is
wasted. A creature can resist this with a successful Dexterity save.
Warrior
Any weapon attack you declare that fails by up to 5 points still deals minimum
damage, but does not trigger any secondary effects (such as a poison laced on
the weapon, or any magical properties of the weapon).
Thicker Than Water
[honor]
When you achieve 14th level, your insight into the power of your lineage
allows you to protect and serve your living relatives with the same might with
which you honor your ancestors. As long as you are adjacent to a non-hostile
character that is related to you by law, by social custom, or by blood, then they
gain improved Armor Class and saving throws as if they were your lord.
If you have an ancestral spirit invoked, you can spend 2 points of Honor at the
start of each of your turns; this allows your relative to gain all the same
benefits of your spirit until the end of their next turn unless it leaves earlier.
Blood Pact. This secretive ritual absorbs another creature into your bloodline.
The ritual consumes special materials with a total cost of 350 gp per HD the
subject possesses. You must perform the ceremony for at least 1 hour, but may
continue it for as long as you desire (subject to the DM's discretion),
meditating, praying, and slowly draining blood from yourself and the subject
to allow it to blend together in a bowl between you. As a result, the ritual
reduces both of your Constitution scores by 1 point per hour of ceremony.
When you are ready to finalize the ritual, you need to pass a DC 25
Intelligence (Religion) check For each hour of ceremony you completed, you
gain a cumulative +1 bonus to this ability check. A failed check ruins the
attempt, but a successful check alters the subject's blood until they become
genetically identical to a brother or sister to you.
Bushi Spirits
If the DM makes use of the Honor score, then bushi can also invoke, manifest,
and conjure the spirits of bushi ancestors; otherwise, these spirits are warrior
spirits.
The bushi ancestor defined themself by their adherence to the code of bushido.
Though they may have walked a different tradition or served a different lord,
the integrity of their honor remains unquestionable.
Taboo
Bushi spirits loathe dishonorable conduct, and will flee if you violate your
code or use magic, poison, or other effects to weaken a foe. The spirit also
flees if you reject another bushi's challenge.
Invocation
You can spend 1 point of Honor whenever you make a Honor-based check to
gain proficiency with the relevant tool or skill. The spirit immediately grants
you 2 points of bonus Honor. This can cause you have to Honor points in
excess of your normal maximum, but they are lost when the invocation ends.
Manifestation
Once per round, you can reduce the cost of any Honor feature you use by 1
point of Honor. This cannot reduce the cost of an Honor feature to less than 1
point, and does not reduce the magnitude or effect of the feature.
Conjure Ancestral Spirit
[honor]
At 18th level, the connection between yourself and your ancestors becomes a
constant bridge over which they might enter the world of the living. They can
appear to you whenever they choose, although only to your senses, and when
you invoke them your physical appearence and your voice are completely
subsumed by theirs.
When you would invoke an ancestral spirit, you can spend 3 additional points
of Honor in order to conjure it for the invocation duration. When conjuring a
spirit, you gain all the effets of manifesting it as well as the following changes:
• You add your Charisma bonus, if any, to all of your attack rolls.
• You gain temporary hit points equal to youru Bushi level + your
Charisma modifier every time you reduce a foe to 0 hit points.
• You can spend 6 points of Honor to separate yourself from your
acestor without banishing them back to the afterlife. This allows
you to summon a sword wraith commander with a 75% chance of
sharing your alignment and a 25% chance of being one step away.
The spirit appears in an empty adjacent space that you designate.
Conjured spirits are NPC's that fall under the DM's control and act
at the end of your turn. They vanish when your invocation ends or
when reduced to 0 hit points; if a conjured spirit is destroyed, you
cannot invoke another spirit until you complete a long rest. A
conjured spirit cannot possess you as described above.
Kensai
The kensai, or "sword-saint," is unique among their peers in that they care
more about their path of spiritual enlightenment than they do how the gossip of
others affects their honor. No one understands like the kensai that the code is
not merely a series of parables; the code is merely representative of a series of
cosmic truths and is divinely inspired by the universe itself.
Kensai find that discipline is their greatest focus, and it is discipline that the
code teaches. All of its tenets are pieces of a greater whole. They are broken
into smaller, focused lessons not to be interpreted independently but to make
their overall meaning easier to digest. Other bushi do themselves and the code
a disservice by failing to overcome this stumbling block.
Never explicitely commanded, but often observed, are practices of self-denial
and abstinence. For the kensai stripping the body of its dependence on mortal
vices purifies it of its weaknesses, and in order to truly master the way of the
kensai requires you to align a purity of body, mind, spirit, and purpose.
All of the features of the kensai gain the [honor] descriptor.
First Strike
Starting at 2nd level, you begin to delve into the Five Mysteries of the Kensai,
also known as the Five Rings. You begin your studies by mastering the
Mystery of the First Strike, or the Ring of Earth. This mystery allows you to
form a special bond with a single weapon by performing a 10 minute ritual
after you complete a short or long rest. This cannot be the same short rest used
to identify an item or attune to it.
You may only have one weapon bonded to you at any given time, although
performing this ritual again allows you to exchange one weapon for another.
As a bonus action, you can spend 1 point of Honor to enkindle your bonded
weapon. This infuses the weapon with cosmic truth and transforms it into a
magical weapon +1 for 1 hour. The weapon benefits from enkindling only in
your hands, and it can be dispelled via dispel magic using a spell slot at three
levels higher than your proficiency bonus.
If your bonded weapon is already a weapon +1, then you can instead choose to
alter all of the weapon's damage to your choice of acid, cold, electricity, fire, or
thunder damage for the duration of this ability.
Second Strike
At 6th level, you master the Mystery of the Second Strike, the Ring of Fire or
the Ring of Metal.
If your bonded weapon is destroyed or damaged, you may restore it to pristine
condition with focused prayer and intense physical labor. Doing so takes 2d4
hours of work and causes a number of levels of exhaustion equal to half this
result; add 2 hours for a magical weapon.
Additionally, your mastery with your bonded weapon is apparent to even the
least experienced warrior and earns you the respect – either readily or
begrudgingly – of anyone you encounter wielding the same type of weapon.
Others who wield the same type of weapon will fairly hear you and judge your
opinions even if they would normally fanatically disregard them, and allied
creatures will readily follow you into danger.
Third Strike
At 10th level, you master the Mystery of the Third Strike, or the Ring of Water.
As long as you and your bonded weapon remain on the same plane of
existence you can conjure it to your hand as an action. You can conjure it to
your hand as a bonus action, but not during any round in which you move.
This feature also functions across the layers of a single plane.
Additionally, when you enkindle your bonded weapon you have the option of
spending 3 points of Honor. Doing so transforms your weapon into a magical
weapon +2 for the duration of this ability.
If your bonded weapon is already a weapon +1 or a weapon +2, then you
instead cause the weapon to ignore damage resistances and to treat damage
immunities as damage resistances for the duration of this ability.
Fourth Strike
At 14th level, you master the Mystery of the Fourth Strike, the Ring of the
Wind or the Ring of Wood. This reveals the secrets of iado, an advanced
iaijutsu form also called the quickstrike parry.
When you are the target of a melee attack roll not delivered by a spell or a
weapon of vaastly greater size than yourself (such as from a siege engine), and
you are equipped with your bonded weapon, you can use a reaction to roll
damage for the weapon. The result is a penalty to your attacker's damage roll.
If you overcome the damage that would otherwise have been dealt to you, any
damage leftover is dealt to the attacker.
You may spend 4 points of Honor to roll this damage as if you had scored a
critical hit.
Fifth Strike
At 18 level, you master the Mystery of the Fifth Strike, or the Ring of Void or
th
the Ring of the Ether.
As long as you are equipped with your bonded weapon, only attack rolls made
as part of a spell or other magical effect can reduce you to less than 1 hit point.
Any weapon that scores a critical hit against you ignores this protection.
Furthermore, when you enkindle your bonded weapon you have the option of
spending 6 points of Honor. Doing so transforms your weapon into a magical
weapon +3 for the duration of this ability.
If your bonded weapon is already a weapon +1, a weapon +2, or a weapon +3,
you instead cause the weapon to act as though it were a weapon of warning for
the duration of this ability.
Noble Bushi
It is the duty of the better to shepherd the inferior. The strong lead the weak.
The wise open the minds of the ignorant. The courageous inspire hope in the
deafeated. The code of bushido teaches that obedience to the chain of
authority and piety are key virtures, and illustrates the way that bushi are
expected to display that loyalty.
Noble bushi accept these self-evident truths and bear the cumbersome burden
that they are betters in a world of lessers. This expectation is not a malicious
or selfish desire to rule, but rather an honest belief that you are best suited to
the task. You would wash yourself of leadership you could, but others depend
on you too much to abandon your responsibility to them.
You are proud to preserve this tradition because you firmly believe in your
culture. Yes there are have's and have-not's, but this distribution is inherently
just in design. Rulers command and peasants serve because that is what they
are best suited for.
Commanding Presence
At 2nd level, you become a student of the ruling arts and know words and
gestures that inspire others to follow in your wake.
As an action, you choose one or more targets against whom you could declare
a Warrior's Challenge. They become your vassals until the end of the
encounter, or they can attempt a Wisdom save to resist. A creautre that cannot
be charmed cannot be made into a vassal.
While a creature is your vassal you can use your reaction whenever it attempts
an attack roll or an ability check in order to grant advantage or disadvantage.
Voice of Heaven
At 6th level you can make a Charisma check to inspire legislaters, magistrates,
and other figures of judicial influence. Exactly how much time and effort this
requires is left to the DM. You can also attempt to bribe figures with wealth or
the promises of future favors, gaining advantage on your Charisma check if the
DM rules your bribe to be sufficient.
Pass or Repeal a Law
Successfully inspiring a noble, royal, or other political figure responsible for
running state affairs allows you to influence minor laws and regulations. You
can have a law that you support passed, or have an extant law either altered or
struck entirely. If your proposed changes would negatively impact the wealthy
or social elites, your Charisma check is made at disadvantage.
Affecting the laws of a single settlement requires a successful DC 10 check.
Altering the law for a set of neighboring settlements or settlements involved in
some sort of alliance or negotiation (such as proposing a trade deal) is DC 15.
A change in laws that affects an entire country or a single province is DC 25.
Laws that affect neighboring or allied countries, or an entire empire or state of
similar size, are DC 30.
Pardon or Condemn a Criminal
Successfully inspiring a formal body that is responsible for convicting
criminals or passing sentence allows you to influence the outcome of a
criminal trial or to pardon the social or legal stigma of a past crime. If you
also ask for relevant evidence to be fabricated ("found with convenient
timing") or destroyed ("unfortunately lost to bureaucracy"), your Charisma
check is made at disadvantage.
The most direct use of this feature is to convince law enforcement either to
arrest a suspect, to release them, or not to take them into custody at all.
Timing may prevent you from reaching the relevant persons in time for this
early intervention, of course, so you can also convince a prosecuting body to
press or drop charges. All of this can be done with a DC 10 check.
Successfully influencing the verdict or sentencing of a trial with this feature
guarantess a verdict of guilty or innocent as you wish, and requires a DC 20
check. Pardoning any individuals you choose of a single past criminal act is
DC 30, and clears it from the records of the pardoned individuals.
Lording Presence
[honor]
Starting at 10th level, your studies into the nature of leadership allow you to
quickly and efficiently command your troops.
As long as you have at least one vassal adjacent to you, you enjoy a +1 bonus
to AC to all saving throws. As a reaction you can increase this bonus to +2,
but all adjacent vassals suffer a -2 penalty to Armor Class and all saving
throws; a given vassal suffers this penalty until the start of their next turn.
You can issue orders to your vassals as an action, spending 3 points of honor to
issue a command as per the spell cast at 1st level. You can spend additional
Honor to create a more potent effect, increasing the effective spell slot by 1 per
point of Honor. This effect is non-magical in origin.
For the Daimyo
[honor]
Starting at 14th level, your devotion to your lord is absolute and cannot be
broken by those who would mislead or ensorcel you. You cannot be charmed
or frightened, except by your lord, and you add your Charisma bonus (if any)
to all saving throws made to resist illusion spells and effects.
When an effect would force you to betray your lord, you may use a reaction to
commit seppuku – a highly ritualized form of honorable suicide. You may use
this reaction even if the effect would normally prevent you from taking
reactions. You must have something in hand that could be used to inflict
critical wounds upon yourself or be able to reach out and grab it. This reduces
you to 0 hit points and you begin dying normally.
Imperious Presence
[honor]
By 18th level, you have mastered the experience and talents necessary to be a
proper ruler. When you activate your Commanding Presence feature, you
can choose to spend 6 points of Honor. Doing so allows you to exceed your
normal limit of vassals by up to six creatures.
You can use your vassals to defend yourself from harm. Whenever you take
damage except from an area effect, you can choose for that damage to be
directed towards your adjacent vassals instead. You distribute this damage as
you wish among them.
When one of your vassals is reduced to 0 hp or otherwise incapacitated, those
that remain are inspired by the fires of righteous vengeance and gain a
cumulative +1 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls. Against an enemy
that incapacitated one of them, this also applies to AC.
Ronin
If you ask ten people to define the ronin, you might end up with twice as many
answers. Everyone has their opinion and few are shy about making it known –
at least behind the ronin's back. Wandering vagrants, abusive bullies, or
gluttonous bandits; practical mercenaries, relics of a bygone era, or even
unsung champions protecting the people from an abusive system of privilege.
Ronin share only that they have in some way abandoned the code of bushido
or failed to uphold its tenets. Bushi can be dismissed from the service of their
lord with dishonor and become ronin, but it is far more likely for the bushi to
become ronin after surviving the death of their lord and failing to commit
ritual suicide in punishment.
Ronin life is harsh. Your survival is completely in your own hands. You have
no resources to call on other than those you scrounge together yourself. News
of your dishonor can travel astonishingly fast, engendering scorn and distrust
in those who recognize you. Still, your deeds as a ronin can bring you further
honor or dishonor and it is not impossible for a disgraced ronin regain their
status under a new lord.
Becoming a Ronin. Simply select this tradition at 2nd level to play a ronin.
The circumstances of this choice can help inform your character's motivations.
A bushi whose lord has died may follow this path to seek vengeance, while
one without a lord may scorn parts of the code or disregard it entirely for a
different creed. Peasants sometimes master this path to defend or avenge their
loved ones, often against other bushi.
A bushi can also abandon their tradition at any point and immediately lose
access to all of its features. During a reflection period (a number of days equal
to their bushi level) they have no tradition. After completing their final long
rest, the character takes on the ronin tradition and gains all of the features it
provides according to their bushi level.
Bringing extreme dishonor to yourself or your lord can result in becoming a
ronin. Your lord can choose to dismiss you from their employ. If they do so
honorably, you retain all the benfits of your Bushi Tradition but have no Lord
feature. A dishonorable release however strips you of your tradition. If you
complete a reflection period, you become a ronin.
Lastly, obedience and loyalty are key tenents to the code of bushido. Bushi are
taught and expected to carry these virtues to death and most would gladly lay
down their lives to defend their lord or their lord's interests. A bushi who
survives the death of their lord is expected to commit sepekku and those who
fail to do so are disgraced as ronin.
Without Honor
Starting at 2nd level, ronin serve no man or woman besides themselves.
You do not have to select a lord as per the Lord class feature. You fail to meet
one of the core tenets of bushido in the process, however, and you possess 2
fewer points of Honor while lordless. If your campaign uses the optional
Honor ability score, you cannot use your Ability Score Improvement feature to
raise that score like other bushi.
You may swear yourself to a lord if you find someone worthy who is willing to
accept your services. This requires a day-long ceremony, during which you
cannot eat, drink, or sleep, which consists of prayers and meditations, various
oaths of service, and "spiritual cleansing" by a local priest or witch. While you
have a lord, you are under the full effects of the Lord class feature but have a
full pool of Honor. You can abandon this lord at any point as a free action.
Unyielding Confidence
Also at 2nd level, you know that you can only rely on yourself. This necessary
self-relience teaches you that even though you live your life without a lord,
your own skill makes your way. You gain advantage on any ability check
made to compete in another bushi's Challenge against you, and you do not
suffer Charisma damage when you refuse to answer a Challenge.
Command Respect
The reputation of a 6 th level ronin quickly proceeds them, for better or for
worse. You can capitalize on this reputation in ways that ease the burden of
daily survival. You can make Charisma (Survival) checks instead of Wisdom
(Survival) when foraging within an urban environment. Urban foraging has a
DC of 10 in a village, 15 in a town, and 20 in a city.
When you would suffer complications during downtime activity, you can
foster those complications on another character that you know if you beat them
in a contested Charisma check.
Snapping Contempt
By 10th level, you have become a peerless master of cutting retorts. When
others single you out for their childish games of honor and prestige, you
disgrace them, their family, and all those that they serve in a single breath. If
you accept a bushi's Challenge, they immediately take Charisma damage equal
to your proficiency bonus.
Weigh and Measure
[honor]
Ronin of 14th level are peerless masters of the cutting retort, always ready with
an extremely rude opinion or gesture. When a creature within 60 feet of you
attempts a d20 roll, you can spend any number of points of Honor as a reaction
and subtract it from their check. You can use this feature after a target has
made their check, but before the DM announces the result.
This ability has no effect if the target can neither hear nor see you, or those
with an Intelligence score of less than 3.
Spurn the Heavens
[honor]
When you achieve 18th level as a bushi, you discover secret meditations and
arts that free you from the shackles of the gods and their plans of destiny or
chance. Whenever you are required to roll dice other than for damage, you can
use a reaction to spend 6 points of Honor. Instead of rolling the dice you
simply elect to "roll" whatever result you desire.
Villanous Bushi
By the standards of others you might be accused of greed or an abuse of your
station, but what is station other than a means of taking what you want? This
is the simple truth of bushido. It isn't some child's code of purity, and anyone
who says otherwise is an ignorant hypocrite. The code is itself a weapon – one
which will let you carve out your rightful place in the world.
Villainous bushi are dangerous and unpredictable, because they care more for
the appearance of honor than for its reality. They take the typical bushi
obsession with preserving and growing prestige and scale it back to a self-
serving indulgence. Honor is just another currency or tool, worth only so
much as the influence they can wield with it rather than for its own sake.
The ends always justify the means for you. And of course coming out on top
is always the ends. There is no dishonor in doing whatever you think is
necessary to be the best or to have the most. As long as you don't get caught
you don't bring any dishonor to your family.
Dishonor Before Death
[honor]
You are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you win, and at 2 nd level
your studies into various "street fighting" techniques give you an undeniable
edge. As an action you make a special melee attack modified by your Strength
or Dexterity, whichver is higher, and your proficiency bonus.
A successful attack consumes 1 point of Honor as you play off your under-
handed tactics. You deal no damage but you cause the target to become
Poisoned or Prone as you choose until the end of your next turn. A missed
attack is harder to justify or conceal and instead consumes 2 points of Honor.
Law of Privilege
At 6th level, your social status means that you are effectively governed by a
different set of laws than others. When you commit a crime, you can attempt a
Charisma check to absolve yourself of any responsibility.
You may attempt this check when you are first brought into custody (an
Intimidation check), or when you are brought before whatever individual or
body is responsible for passing your verdict (a Persuasion check).
If your crime victimizes individuals of a higher social class than you, it is
made with disadvantage. You might attempt to bribe yourself into advantage
(as the noble bushi), or the DM might grant advantage if you are closely allied
with a relevant figure or party involved in the legal process.
Lesser crimes are easier to overlook or justify. The difficulty of a crime for
this purpose is mostly determined on a social level and defined according to
the severity of punishment. The chart below offers a rough guideline of this,
but the DM may alter the list in any way that best suits their campaign.
At the DM's discretion, you might be able to use this feature to protect another
individual. Doing so may require you to expend resources or call in favors to
bribe relevant parties.
Law of Privilege
---------------------Type of Punishment---------------------
Severity DC Fine Imprisonment Other
Minor infraction 10 Cp or Sp Days or weeks --
Serious infraction 15 Ep or Gp Months or years Maiming, loss of title or rank
Grievous infraction 25 Pp or trade goods A decade or longer Banishment or execution
Dishonor Before Defeat
[honor]
When you make use of your Dishonor Before Death feature at 10th level, you
can also choose to make your target blinded or deafened.
You can use your reaction when you are reduced to 0 hp by an attack or a spell
to spend 3 points of Honor, selecting an adjacent creature that is an ally or
otherwise does not recognize you as a threat. If that creature fails a Dexterity
saving throw then they take the damage of that attack or spell for you.
You cannot avoid the damage from an area effect in this way unless you can
select a creature that is of a larger size than yourself.
Greed and Gluttony
Once you achieve 14th level, your selfishness knows no bounds and empowers
you to hoard your treasures like an angry dragon. Whenever a creature
successfully forces you to drop an item or destroys an object in your
possession, you can use a reaction to make a melee attack against them.
Moreover, your greed and gluttony actually warp the way you take to magic.
When a spell with a duration of "Concentration" is cast on you, you can fuel
that spell's effects with your own ego. The spell does not require the caster's
concentration but your own. After the effects of that spell end, you must
complete a long rest before doing so again.
Dishonor Before Disgrace
[honor]
When you make use of your Dishonor Before Death feature at 18 th level, you
can also choose to make your target charmed or stunned.
When you attune to a magical item you can spend 6 points of Honor to do so
and choose one of the following benefits that continue until you are no longer
attuned to the item. Honor spent in this way cannot be recovered until you are
no longer attuned to the item.
• The item cannot be damaged, destroyed or lost to you by any
means short of divine intervention.
• The item does not count towards the maximum number of magical
items to which you may be attuned.
• You can spend Honor as a bonus action, restoring 1 charge to the
item for every 2 points of Honor spent.
Virtuous Bushi
All other disciplines teach that bushido speaks to becoming stronger. You
don't dispute this truth, but there are many kinds of strength. Strength of
character, devotion to something greater than the self, and the courage to do
what is right even at an unspeakable personal price are all very real kinds of
strength. You try to lead others to follow your exmaple by the righteousness
and selflessness of your deeds.
Virtuous bushi see the world as an inherently good and beautiful place, one
that must be protected. Stepping on the virtuous path means becoming a
champion of justice and compassion. When you recite the code to yourself
and reflect upon the nature of honor during your meditations, you don't just see
a warrior's way of life. You see a responsibility of those with power to care for
those without, to do everything they can to ease the lives of others.
You may find yourself torn between your loyalties to what is good and your
loyalties to your lord. In a perfect world, your lord is an unfallable bastion of
justice sending you to do good works like a compassionate, if sometimes
vengeful, angel. But the world is not perfect and the hearts of men falter. At
such times you must be firm in your righteousness and guide your lord to a
better way.
Challenge the Wicked
[honor]
Starting at 2nd level, virtuous bushi take great pride in battling the forces of
wickedness to a halt. When you declare a Warrior's Challenge against an
aberration, fiend, or undead, you can spend 1 point of Honor to deliver a
heaven's challenge against them. This functions as a normal Warrior's
Challenge, with the following additional benefits:
• Add your Charisma bonus to attack rolls against the target, if any.
• Deal +1d6 psychic damage with weapon attacks made against them
• You are resistant to damage they deal with attack rolls and spells.
Lead By Example
[honor]
Beginning at 6th level, you begin a slow transformation into an earthly avatar
of the justice promised by the code and the righteousness it demands. The
corrupting influence of evil itself seems to recede from your presence like an
insect scurries out of the sunlight. Where you tread, creatures that have not
already fallen to the darkness find goodness bolstered within them.
While you remain in a settlement, non-evil creatures are significantly less
likely to commit criminal or evil acts. They are simultaneously more willing
to come together for the good of the community. Corrupt officials quickly find
their acts exposed and lose significant influence in the community; given
enough time, forming a peaceful or armed rebellion to depose them in favor of
more beneficent rulers is an easy task.
Your effects on a community lasts for a number of days equal to your
proficiency bonus after you depart. If you choose to invest Honor from your
pool into the settlement, effectively rooting your ideals into a community, you
can extend this duration. The duration is increased to weeks if you invest 2
points of Honor, months if you invest 4 points, and years if you invest 6 points.
Honor spent in this way cannot be recovered until this duration elapses.
Hunt the Wicked
[honor]
As a virtuous bushi of 10th level, you awaken a sixth sense for evil; its servants
and champions rankle your senses like a foul stench or vile imagry. This
functions as the paladin's Divine Sense feature, except that it detects the
presence of aberrations, fiends, and undead. Additionally, when you declare a
Warrior's Challenge against a humanoid that you know worships an evil
religion, you gain the benefits of Challenge the Wicked.
When you declare a Warrior's Challenge against an aberration, fiend, or
undead, you can spend 3 points of Honor to gain the following benefits:
• You gain all the benefits of Challenge the Wicked; the additional
psychic damage dealt by your weapon attacks increases to 3d6.
• Weapon attacks you make against the target ignore any damage
resistance they possess. A critical hit scored against the target with
a weapon attack also ignores any damage immunity they possess.
Stay the Righteous Path
[honor]
Beginning at 14th level, your righteous metamorphosis buttresses your mind.
Your alignment cannot be altered by magic and you gain a +4 bonus on saves
to resist effecst that would force you to commit an evil act, including attempts
to overcome your Lord feature to resist evil commands or expectations from
them.
As a reaction spending 4 points of Honor, you can give a warning cry that
bolsters an ally's resolve and grant that ally a +4 bonus to resist any
enchantment or illusion spell or effect. Until the end of your next turn, you
lose the bonus to saving throws provided by this feature.
Raze the Wicked
[honor]
By 18th level, your talent for dispelling wickedness from the world sharpens to
an edge that borders on the deific. When you declare a warrior's challenge
against a hostile creature that you know is of evil alignment, you benefit from
a heaven's challenge (but not an improved or greater heaven's challenge, see
below) no matter what their type is.
When you declare a Warrior's Challenge against an aberration, fiend, or
undead, you can spend 3 points of Honor to gain the following benefits:
• You gain all the benefits of Hunt the Wicked; the additional
psychic damage dealt by your weapon attacks increases to 5d6.
• You may voluntarily impose disadvantage on any attack rolls you
make against the target as part of the Attack action. Each of these
attacks that deals at least 1 point of damage also imposes a
cumulative -1 penalty to the target's attack rolls, ability checks, and
Armor Class until the beginning of your next turn.