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Old 01-29-2021, 12:06 PM   #1
Pragmatic
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Default Lo5R: Clans Phoenix and Dragon iconic classes

I'm a yin/yang Dragon and Phoenix fan. So how could I resist when I heard that Legend of the Five Rings had Clans Dragon and Phoenix?

I haven't seen any of the original systems' writeups of the iconic classes (Dragon two-sword, Dragon tattooed monk, Phoenix void shujenga, and to go a bit beyond, Crane quick-draw master, Crane courtier, Lion war leader, Unicorn horseman, Mantis bowman...).

I've seen some of these started up in D&D 3.XE, but as is usual for D&D (and this is not a criticism, D&D is fine for its genre, but I happen to like GURPS), there's not much detail on styles.

Looking at Martial Arts, are there styles for a Dragon two-sword master, a Phoenix void sense sword master (which, as far as I can tell, is an action without thinking style, but I very well could be mistaken), a Crane Iaijutsu (quick draw master), a Dragon tattooed monk (which probably probably include chi and Powers-based tattoos)? I know even less about the Unicorn horseman and the Mantis bowman, and almost nothing about the other great clans and small clans.

As for the Phoenix void shujenga (and the other four elements masters), I'm not sure how they'd work with Magic, Sorcery, or Chinese (whatever it's called) spells. I only have only the vaguest of ideas what spells they have in 3E (I take concepts from 3E, not direct conversions...). Nor am I sure what other clan shujenga do to specialize.

To make a long story stay exceedingly verbose, does anyone have resources on conversions to GURPS, fleshing out the various styles?
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Old 01-30-2021, 07:46 PM   #2
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Default Re: Lo5R: Clans Phoenix and Dragon iconic classes

The 4th ed of legand of the 5 rings is pretty cool to play. I lay in a game a couple of years ago.
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Old 02-03-2021, 01:53 PM   #3
ak_aramis
 
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Default Re: Lo5R: Clans Phoenix and Dragon iconic classes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pragmatic View Post
I'm a yin/yang Dragon and Phoenix fan. So how could I resist when I heard that Legend of the Five Rings had Clans Dragon and Phoenix?

I haven't seen any of the original systems' writeups of the iconic classes (Dragon two-sword, Dragon tattooed monk, Phoenix void shujenga, and to go a bit beyond, Crane quick-draw master, Crane courtier, Lion war leader, Unicorn horseman, Mantis bowman...).

I've seen some of these started up in D&D 3.XE, but as is usual for D&D (and this is not a criticism, D&D is fine for its genre, but I happen to like GURPS), there's not much detail on styles.

Looking at Martial Arts, are there styles for a Dragon two-sword master, a Phoenix void sense sword master (which, as far as I can tell, is an action without thinking style, but I very well could be mistaken), a Crane Iaijutsu (quick draw master), a Dragon tattooed monk (which probably probably include chi and Powers-based tattoos)? I know even less about the Unicorn horseman and the Mantis bowman, and almost nothing about the other great clans and small clans.

As for the Phoenix void shujenga (and the other four elements masters), I'm not sure how they'd work with Magic, Sorcery, or Chinese (whatever it's called) spells. I only have only the vaguest of ideas what spells they have in 3E (I take concepts from 3E, not direct conversions...). Nor am I sure what other clan shujenga do to specialize.

To make a long story stay exceedingly verbose, does anyone have resources on conversions to GURPS, fleshing out the various styles?
Note that all of those core classes were in d20 Rokugan... but most L5R fans will, as I am doing now, tell you to completely ignore the D&D mechanical content as totally worthless drekh.

If you're going to play Rokugan as a setting, 5th ed has reset the setting, dropping most of the power creep. Conversion to GURPS, however.... no edition is a simple solution.

If you're looking for a real L5R ruleset, 3rd is the crunchiest, 4th is more streamlined but has the most setting WTF moments. 5th has custom dice, and is, IMO, the best, with 3rd close after....

2nd has a lot more options, but broke the basic mechanics, and 1st is a little more swingy than all the others.

Oh, and all the references to the various OA species? They're not part of canonical Rokugan; the only playable non-humans are Nezumi (Rat-men) and Naga (Snake-"centaurs"). Hengeyokai do exist, but not as playables, ibid. Kenku.

As for GURPS conversions...
Use G:Japan and G: Martial Arts.
Crane Kakita are single-sword iaijutsu/iaidô
Dragon Mirumoto are two-sword, musashi-based.

Each edition has a different level of magical abilities other than the invocations used by Shugenja, which are fairly consistent across editions.

Last edited by ak_aramis; 02-03-2021 at 02:07 PM.
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Old 02-07-2021, 11:19 AM   #4
Pragmatic
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Default Re: Lo5R: Clans Phoenix and Dragon iconic classes

I'm mostly trying to customize G:MA styles to get the feel of the various bushi schools. Dragon dual weapon, Phoenix no-thought reactions and bodyguards, Crane like the sword master in Seven Samurai, and so on.

I don't know the L5R system, and the d20 system is to vague to flesh out a whole style.

Can you explain re: Shujenga non-invocation magic abilities? Again, I mostly know the setting through the d20 version, and am not sure how distinct each shujenga school is.
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Old 02-07-2021, 07:09 PM   #5
ak_aramis
 
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Default Re: Lo5R: Clans Phoenix and Dragon iconic classes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pragmatic View Post
I'm mostly trying to customize G:MA styles to get the feel of the various bushi schools. Dragon dual weapon, Phoenix no-thought reactions and bodyguards, Crane like the sword master in Seven Samurai, and so on.

I don't know the L5R system, and the d20 system is to vague to flesh out a whole style.

Can you explain re: Shujenga non-invocation magic abilities? Again, I mostly know the setting through the d20 version, and am not sure how distinct each shujenga school is.
While L5R is mostly skill driven, there is a level system - School ranks. Schools have 3 or 5 ranks, and only 5 rank schools can be starting. The school rank limits at 8.

Note that editions 1-4 have 5 rings: Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Void.
The rings other than void are the lower of two attributes. The Void ring is an attribute and a ring.
5th ed bypasses attributes, and uses the rings directly as attributes.

There are 5 elements of spells, again, Fire, Water, Air, Earth, and Void.
All fullpshugenja shugenja schools teach fire, water, air, and earth. Only the phoenix Ishikendo school teaches void magic. There are also 5 levels of spells; one can only cast spells of one's school rank or lower. One can only cast a number of spells (Invocations, to be technical) equal to one's matching ring.
Each school has one element that is easier; that school is treated as if the caster were a school rank higher, and one disadvantaged, treated as one lower, and void is prohibited to all but is****ndo.
The allowed casting is based upon the character's Rings.
Each shugenja school gets only one (eds 1-4) or 2 (ed 5) special abilities unique to it. In 1-4th eds, non-shugenja have 1 special ability per school rank. 3-rank schools are essentially prestige classes.

The Martial Arts involved are all essentially the same: Kenjutsu, kyujutsu
There are martial differences amongst the clans:
Crab tend to make use of heavy weapons - Tetsubo, Ono.
Dragon use dual katana
Phoenix are mostly spellcasters or yojimbo.
Crane use katana or wakizashi almost exclusively.
lion use katana, wakizashi, warfan.
Scorpion use standard katana and wakizashi, but also many of the so-called
Unicorn are mongol samurai, and the only ones to field proper cavalry instead of mounted infantry.

Most non-shugenja schools have advantages each rank that correspond to a mix of bonuses to skills, bonuses to specific figured abilities, special attacks, and extra attacks per round.
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