The Crane, the Left Hand of the Emperor, have long played an essential part in the Empire's politics, and are seen as masters of courts and the courtly arts. Outsiders often perceive them as overly refined and scheming, too concerned with protocol and favor. They are also known for their beauty, which others sometimes mock as effete in the men of the Crane.
The Asahina are known for their devotion to arts and philosophy, and are as monastic and pacifistic as any of the Phoenix.
The Iron Crane or "Defenders of Doji" are the enforcers of the will of the Crane, focusing on strength and victory in battle. They are sometimes considered ruthless and even dishonorable, but they know their devotion to duty is supreme.
The Doji are the lords of the Crane, masters of culture and politics in the Empire. Their cunning has maintained the Crane's influence and dominance for a thousand years.
The Kakita descend from the swordmaster Kakita, husband of Lady Doji. They teach a focus in one thing above all, whether that is Iaijutsu swordsmanship or an art such as calligraphy or swordsmanship.
The Asahina Shugenja School teaches the virtue of preserving life. They are monks as much as priests, focusing on meditation and scholarship as well as art and creation to improve the world around them. They also view everything as a teaching opportunity, trying to make others ask questions to find the correct path. Their spells focus on defense and protection.
The Daidoji are the strength of the Crane when words do not suffice. The Iron Warriors see themselves as the Clan's silent steel. They form the majority of the Clan's first and second armies, and many serve as yojimbo to courtiers of the Doji school.
Their weapons are varied, including the katana and wakizashi, polearms, spears, bows, and heavy weapons.
You gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank -4 to your Wounds at each Wound Rank (minimum +1 per Wound Rank), i.e. +2 at Honor 6.5. You also gain +1k0 to attack rolls in the Attack Stance.
When you perform the Guard Maneuver, the benefits last an additional Round, and both you and your target gain an extra +5 bonus to Armor TN.
You may make melee attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action while in the Attack Stance.
You may spend a Void Point during the Reactions Stage to target an opponent who has attempted to strike at you or the target of your Guard Maneuver during the Round. You gain +2k1 to all attack and damage rolls against that opponent next Round.
You may spend 2 Void Points as a Free Action when someone declares an action against the target of your Guard Maneuver. You become the action's target instead (if the Action would still make sense; GM's judgement). You gain one Free Action that you may use immediately for the purposes of moving toward the target of your Guard Maneuver. If you cannot reach your target, this Technique has no effect.
The Doji Courtier School focuses on cultivating and maintaining vast networks of allies, debts, and favors to call upon. Even the most talented student cannot master all the subjects taught by the school, and the teachers guide their students to focus on certain areas. Their core philosophy is about perceiving needs and fulfilling them in a way where refusal is difficult.
As long as you maintain Honor 6.0 or better, you gain a Free Raise on all Courtier, Etiquette, and Sincerity Rolls. By conversing with someone for a few minutes, you can make a Contested Roll of your Courtier (Manipulation)/AWA vs. their Etiquette (Courtesy)/AWA to learn if they are in need of any favors or help.
You can roll Courtier/INT (TN 15) to use subtle gestures and body language (called "Cadence") to communicate simple ideas and instructions to any Doji Courtier School student or anyone with 5+ Ranks in Courtier. More complex ideas can be communicated using Raises (subject to the GM's judgement).
Any time you are in court or in an urban area, you can roll Courtier/AWA (TN 20) to come up with a suitable gift or helpful political favor for someone else. By calling Raises, you can acquire a rarer or more potent gift or favor. If accepted, subject to the GM's approval, you immediately make the recipient an Ally with 1-point Devotion at no XP cost.
In any debate or argument, you may make a Contested Roll of Courtier (Manipulation)/AWA vs. the target's Etiquette (Courtesy)/AWA. If you win, the opponent is forced to concede that their position conflicts with Bushido and Honor, and if they persist in it, they are committing a breach of etiquette (with the usual consequences).
By conversing with someone for a few minutes, you may make a Contested Roll of your Courtier (Manipulation)/AWA vs. the target's Etiquette (Courtesy)/WIL. If they are an Ally, you gain +5k0. With a success, you shift the target's emotions in a favorable direction, persuading them to listen to your counsel. Generally, the target will go along with what you suggest if it does not conflict with their loyalties (GM's judgement).
The Kakita Dueling Academy are the masters of the art of Iaijutsu dueling. They utilize these techniques even on the battlefield, where duelists seek to decapitate the enemy army by killing their commanders. The school has an ancient rivalry with the Mirumoto Bushi School of the Dragon Clan.
The school focuses almost exclusively on the katana, and its use in the Iaijutsu fashion. The bow is also taught, however.
You add 2× your Iaijutsu Skill Rank to all Initiative Rolls. You gain +1k1 plus your School Rank to all attack and Focus rolls in the Center Stance, including in the Round following the one where you took the Center Stance.
You gain +2k0 to attack rolls against opponents with Initiative lower than yours.
You may Strike first in an Iaijutsu duel if you win the Focus roll by 3+ (rather than 5+). You gain a Free Raise for every additional 3 (rather than 5) that you win by.
You may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when using Samurai keyword weapons.
You may take one Simple Action (which may be a Move Action) per Turn while in the Center Stance, and gain the benefits of the Center Stance on the Turn you assume it, rather than the following Turn, and may remain in the Center Stance for as many Turns as you want.
Daidoji Scouts specialize in scouting, ambush, and striking at enemy commanders and supply lines. They accept the dishonor of traps and surprise attacks for the greater good of the Crane Clan. (See the rules for Traps.)
You get +1k0 to Stealth and Hunting Skill Rolls. Any rural or improvised traps you create deal +1k1 damage.
You get +2k0 to attack rolls against unaware opponents.
You can ignore any Reduction your opponents gain from armor or Techniques. (But not magical or supernatural Reduction, or the natural Reduction of creatures.) You get +1k0 to damage rolls against opponents with no Reduction to ignore.
You can make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when wielding a katana, wakizashi, knife, or bow. Your traps deal +2k1 damage.
During a skirmish, you can spend a Void Point as a Free Action to attack with deadly precision (once per Turn). Any Maneuvers called on this attack require 1 less Raise (minimum 1 per Maneuver), and you deal +1k1 damage. If your opponent is unaware, your Raises are not limited by your Void.
The Doji tradition of magistrates predates even the Emerald Magistrates, drawing from their devotion to the Virtue of Compassion (Jin). Though most students do not become magistrates, many serve as yoriki or guards keeping the peace and protecting the land.
You can add your Air to your Armor TN, unless caught helpless or unaware. You get +1k0 to attack rolls with a jitte or a sasumata.
When rolling to control a Grapple or resolve a Disarm, you can use your opponent's STR in place of your own.
If you successfully Grapple or Disarm an opponent, they are Dazed.
You may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when fighting unarmed or wielding a jitte, sasumata, or a Samurai keyword weapon.
You can spend a Void Point during the Reactions Stage of a skirmish Round to force anyone who attacks you in the next Round to subtract their Air from each die they roll (or the total of an exploding die). This Technique cannot be used in the Full Attack or Center Stances.
Select one of your three chosen School Skills (Acting, Artisan, or Perform skills) as your chosen art. You gain +2k0 to rolls using it, and your Raises are not limited by your Void. Any time you use Games: Sadane to criticize someone else's art or performance, you get a Free Raise.
When you make a public performance or display of your chosen art, you can make a Contested Social Roll of [chosen art]/AWA against the Etiquette (Courtesy)/WIL of the audience members. Those who fail are profoundly swayed, and their emotions shift in a direction you desire. This normally lasts a number of hours equal to your Insight Rank. At the GM's discretion, not all people are susceptible to the influence (they may get bonuses, be affected for less time, etc.).
You can select a second of your three chosen School Skills as a chosen art. The bonus to your chosen art Skill Rolls increases to +2k1.
You can create a piece of art referring to another person by making a [chosen art]/AWA Roll, TN 20 + 5× their Glory Rank. With a success, you can increase or decrease their Glory by up to 5 points, +5 for every Raise you make on the roll. You can call two additional Raises to inflict Infamy instead of a Glory change. You can target one person once every six months. The target's Status Rank cannot exceed the higher of your Glory or Status.
Once per month, you can give a gift of your chosen art to someone from another clan or faction. Make a Contested Social Roll of your [chosen art]/AWA against their Etiquette (Courtesy)/WIL. (The GM may award either side Free Raises based on the chosen art and the target.) If you succeed, you permanently alter their attitude toward your clan or faction in a favorable direction. If you fail, the target becomes aware of your attempt to manipulate them, and their attitude permanently shifts in a hostile direction.
The Children of Doji are the elites of the Doji Courtier school, masters of its network of allies and favors.
When making any Contested Social Skill Roll, you get +Xk0 (X = number of Allies of Devotion 2+ you have in this court, up to your Insight Rank). If you have at least three Allies with Devotion 2+, you can expend one to gain the Darling of the Court advantage for the remainder of the season.
You can manipulate a neutral or friendly court to favor or oppose a military conflict elsewhere. You must have at least five Allies of Devotion 2+ in het court, and spend a week maneuvering, then make a Courtier (Manipulation)/AWA roll (TN 40). A success awards a Free raise on Battle Skill Rolls to the commander of the side you favor (spent when they want), and an extra Free Raise for each Raise you made on the roll. If a representative of the other side of the conflict opposes you, the roll is a Contested Roll instead. A given military campaign may only be influenced once.
You can grant any Ally a boon: a Social or Material Advantage with an XP value up to your Honor Rank. (The GM has veto over appropriate Advantages.) You must spend an hour at court speaking with them, then spend a Void Point and make a Courtier (Manipulation)/AWA roll (TN 20 + 5×XP value). The effect lasts for one month. You can also use this method to deny an enemy a Scoial Advantage they possess (same XP value limit). In this case, the roll is Contested by the enemy's Etiquette (Courtesy)/AWA roll. Success denies them the Advantage for oen month. You may only target a given individual with either ability once a month.
The Daidoji Harriers are an offshoot of the Daidoji Scouts, trained at the ruins of Shiro Giji. They were always more ruthless and less honorable, focusing on sabotage and assassination. Their existence is secret except from the rulers of the Daidoji family.
You lose only half the normal amount of Honor (round down) for dishonorable actions taken on behalf of the Crane Clan. You get +1k1 to the DR of any rural traps you create (stacking with Daidoji Scout techniques).
When wearing no, ashigaru, or light armor, you add your Stealth Skill Rank to your armor TN.
If you successfully attack a surprised or unaware opponents, or an opponent takes damage from a rural trap you created, they are Dazed. They may not attempt to recover from the Daze until after the next Reactions Stage, and the TN to recover is at +5.
Kakita Masters carry the secrets of Rokugan's centuries-old artistic traditions, developed by history's greatest masters. Only the most talented artists may learn them.
You can create a transformative work of art by making a [chosen art]/AWA Skill Roll (TN 40). success results in a work that awes everyone on its first public appearance, and gains you 5 points of Glory, +1 for each Raise called on the roll. Everyone in the audience for the first appearance gains one bonus Void Point (which can exceed their maximum, but is lost after 24 hours if not used). If you call at least 4 Raises, two Void Points are gained instead. This Technique's effects do not stack.
You get +2k0 with your chosen art Skill Rolls. If you are a Kakita Artisan, you gain a third chosen art.
Once per month when you create a work or performance with one of your chosen arts, you can spend two Void Points and roll [chosen art]/AWA (TN 50). With a success, the art comes to life: birds fly off a painting, characters from a play manifest on the stage, a statue of a Fortune comes to life, etc. The GM chooses the specifics of the effect, but it will always be helpful to you—usually awe-inspiring and extraordinary. The manifestation usually lasts only a few minutes, but if you call 4 Raises on the roll, it lasts for one hour.
Kenshinzen are the epitome of the iaijutsu master, seeking the perfection of the single strike.
If you are in Center Stance, you add an extra +10 to your Armor TN.
When making an Assessment or Focus roll as part of an Iaijutsu duel, your dice explode on 9s as well as 10s.
If you make only one attack on your Turn, any opponent you hit is Stunned until the beginning of your next Turn.
Asahina Hake used magic to create transitory and beautiful art, and Asahina shugenja-artisans still carry on this practice.
The Asahina shugenja seek harmony in the tranquility of nature. They hold the secret art of imbuing small objects with magic—tsangusuri, which temporarily grant their bearers the blessings of the kami.
The Asahina Fire Sculptors practice a most fleeting but beautiful art, creating "sculptures" of fire in performances before courts.
The Daidoji and the Tsume train elite spearmen who form the backbone of Crane armies.
The Daidoji Heavy Regulars train alongside the Crab on the Kaiu Wall for at least a year, and are equipped with the heaviest armor and weapons (preferring the tetsubo and dai tsuchi). They break or blunt enemy charges, especially when facing the Lion or Unicorn, and are sometimes used as blocking forces against enemy arrows.
Chosen members of the Daidoji are recruited to serve as Spymasters, operating networks of informers in service to the Clan.
The Trading Council handles the Crane Clan's commercial interests. This is regarded as an unpleasant and somewhat embarrassing duty, but the Daidoji perform this task as they do any other, to spare the rest of the clan this dishonor.
Doji Apologists are specialized courtiers who smooth over insults and offenses, often accompanying less-polished samurai to protect the clan from embarrassment.
The Doji Innocents seek to uphold honesty in politics, relying on their honor to give their words weight.
The Empress Guard of the Doji protect the Empress with their lives; only a handful are on duty at any time, the rest training relentlessly to maintain their sharp edge.
Kakita Jesters are special kabuki actors who study acting, dance, music, poetry, and political commentary, which they weave into unique performances whose aim is to mock the pretentions and arrogance of power. They are not funny, but rather biting and satirical. Through this act, they are able to speak on things that others could not without risking their own honor and reputation.
The bushi of the Tsume vassal family of the Doji are renowned for their walls of spears.