The Ki-Rin Clan left the Empire in its first century, supposedly at the decision of the Kami Shinjo, to explore the world outside for possible threats. They were gone for eight centuries, and when they returned as the Unicorn Clan, they were regarded by many as foreign and barbaric. The Unicorn see themselves as practical and straight-talking. They have embraced strange customs—even integrating a foreign tribe of horse-riding nomads—but these are now their strength. No other Clan can field cavalry like the Unicorn, whose horses are larger, stronger, and faster than those native to the Empire.
The Horiuchi family were founded recently, when an Iuchi shugenja saved the children of the Shinjo daimyo. The Horiuchi are a tiny family specializing in protective magics. They are compassionate, and do not hesitate to intervene to help others.
The Ide have worked hard to reintegrate the Unicorn to the Empire's society and culture, merging their foreign traditions with the Empire's traditions. They are eager to forge alliances, whether personal or political, with others.
The Iuchi are one of the most militant shugenja families in the Empire, and great numbers of them serve in the Unicorn armies. While they are not the illiterate barbarians other Clans sometimes think, they do not shy away from battle.
The Moto are the family that most meet the stereotypes other Clans have of the Unicorn: they are obviously foreign in descent, short and squat, and their manners are boisterous and brusque. Though they have a hard time fitting in with the samurai of other Clans, they are respected warriors.
The Shinjo rule the Unicorn as the heirs of the Kami Shinjo. They are adaptable, industrious, and affable, though samurai of other Clans sometimes question their eagerness to throw away tradition and the old, proper ways of doing things.
The Utaku are a matriarchal and rigidly honorable family. Their women are trained as mounted warriors—filling out the ranks of the Utaku Battle Maidens, the world's most elite cavalry—while the men manage their households and estates, or serve as infantry in the Unicorn armies.
The Horiuchi family has taken up the practice of Meishodo, name magic, the gaijin magic originally learned by the Iuchi and kept as a secret of the Unicorn Clan since their return. It involves the use of amulets of power and magical words that release the spells from them.
The Ide emissaries are pacifistic, though their devotion to this ideal has changed back and forth over the years. Their aim is to defuse conflict and to make allies, and they often serve as peacemakers—which some outsiders perceive as meddling. The Ide accept both praise and criticism with equanimity.
In any situation where you might inadvertently give offense by accident or through ignorance, you may roll Etiquette (Courtesy)/AWA (TN 20) to avoid doing so. You get a Free Raise on Sincerity (Honesty) rolls, but for Sincerity (Deceit) rolls your TN is increased by +5.
You may read someone's true emotions in a social situation with a Contested Roll of your Etiquette/AWA vs. the target's Etiquette/WIL. If successful, you get a simple, general idea of their true feelings. You may call Raises for better information (subject to the GM's judgement).
By spending at least ten minutes in conversation with someone, you may make a Contested Roll of your Sincerity (Honesty)/AWA vs. their Etiquette (Courtesy)/WIL. If successful, you move their attitude towards you in a positive direction. If you make at least two Raises, the target will regard you as an Ally for the remainder of the day (subject to GM approval). This technique cannot be used on Sworn Enemies, and the GM may rule it does not work on unusual targets like non-humans.
When using your Rank 2 & 3 techniques, you may roll additional unkept dice equal to your School Rank.
You may spend a Void Point to make a Contested Roll of your Sincerity (Honesty)/AWA vs. a target's Etiquette (Courtesy)/AWA. If you win, the target cannot take any hostile action (physical, magical, or social) against you for a number of hours equal to twice your School Rank. This technique does not work on someone with Honor less than 2.0 (or those with no Honor).
The Iuchi are perhaps the most unconventional and least conservative shugenja school in the Empire. Wild and carefree, they often take their lessons on the open plain, a tradition developed in their long centuries of wandering. They also make use of meishodo, magical talismans that they can draw on instead of calling upon the kami. The school is also very militant, working closely with the Unicorn armies. They also specialize in traveling magic.
The Moto were born when the Ki-Rin Clan assimilated a tribe of foreign horse barbarians, and the negative stereotypes of the Unicorn are most realized in them. The Moto Bushi School also manifests the positive stereotype of the Unicorn: unparallelled cavalry warriors, thundering upon their enemy on their great horses in a devastating charge. Their unconventional methods may be scorned off the battlefield, but on it, they are feared. Their combat style is fierce and powerful, rivaling both the Hida and the Matsu.
You may wield any two-handed weapon (except bows) in one hand. You get +1k0 to damage rolls while mounted, or using a scimitar or a two-handed weapon (these bonuses do not stack). Scimitars are a Samurai keyword weapon for you.
You gain a bonus to your attack rolls equal to half of your target's Wound Rank TN penalties (rounded down).
You may make melee attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
Once per combat, if you successfully bring an opponent down to the Out Wound Rank, you may immediately make an attack as a Free Action, which may not target the opponent that triggered this technique. You may not make Raises on this attack.
While mounted or in the Full Attack Stance, and wielding a two-handed weapon or a Samurai keyword weapon, you keep extra damage dice equal to half your STR (rounded down).
The Moto Vindicators were formed alongside the White Guard, in the shame of the loss of daimyo Moto Tsume, who led many of his men into the Shadowlands and fell into the thrall of Jigoku. The Vindicators are fierce enemies of the Dark Moto and the Shadowlands.
At the beginning of each Round, you can choose one of two effects to apply until the end of the round: you can reduce your TN penalties from Wound Ranks by your WIL + School Rank, or you can add your WIL + School Rank to your Armor TN. These bonuses are doubled in skirmishes against Shadowlands creatures.
You get +2k0 to all Investigation Skill Rolls, increased to +2k1 when attempting to notice effects of the Shadowlands Taint.
You may make melee attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
You get +2k0 to attack and damage rolls against any enemy who has attacked you in this skirmish, and against any creature with the Shadowlands Taint.
Once per skirmish, you can activate this Technique as a Free Action. While making melee attacks you gain a bonus to damage rolls equal to the TN penalties you are suffering from Wound Ranks (ignoring modifications from Advantages, spells, your Rank 1 Technique, etc.). This lasts for 2 Rounds. You can extend the duration by an additional Round by taking 10 Wounds.
The Shinjo are more traditional than the Moto, but likewise incorporate gaijin methods in their cavalry tactics. Though they use the katana more often than the scimitar of the Moto, their style of swordsmanship is unusual, incorporating parries and ripostes.
The Shinjo School teach the katana and the bow (used on horseback), and a defensive fighting style.
When spending a Void Point to add +1k1 to any School Skill Roll, you may also add your Horsemanship Skill Rank to the total. This bonus cannot be used in Center Stance.
When you are in the Full Defense Stance and an opponent successfully attacks you, you may immediately make a Contested AGI Roll against the opponent. If successful, the attack misses instead. You may do this a number of times per Round equal to your School Rank.
You may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when using Samurai keyword weapons. If you are fighting mounted, you may also do this when using bows.
When you are in the Defense or Full Defense Stance and an opponent makes a melee attack against you, once the attack is resolved you may take a Free Action to make one melee attack against that opponent. This immediately puts you in the Attack Stance. This Technique may be used a number of times per Combat equal to your School Rank, but only once per Round.
During a Combat, when you spend a Void Point you may make a Void Ring Roll (TN 20 if mounted, TN 30 if on foot) as a Free Action. If the Ring Roll is successful, you gain the benefit without spending a Void Point. You may only use this Technique a number of times per Combat equal to the number of Void Points you started it with.
The shiotome or Utaku Battle Maidens are the Empire's most elite cavalry, feared even beyond the Moto and Shinjo. They breed and ride the exclusive Utaku steeds, superior even to the Unicorn horses. Their school focuses on mounted combat, fighting in concert with their steeds, which themselves are a danger to opponents.
You gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank to one attack roll per Round. While mounted, you may instead apply this bonus to one damage roll. You also gain a bonus equal to your Honor Rank to all Horsemanship rolls.
During the Initiative Stage of any combat Round, you may add +5 to your Initiative Score or your Armor TN for that Round.
While mounted, you may make attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
While mounted, you may overrun your enemy by spending a Void Point. As a Simple Action, you charge the enemy and attack them at the end of your movement. If the attack succeeds, you gain +2k1 to all damage rolls this Turn.
At the beginning of your Turn, you may spend a Void Point as a Free Action to add your Honor Rank to all damage rolls and Bugei Skill rolls this Turn. The bonus stacks with the one from Riding in Harmony.
Not all battles can be won with cavalry alone. Utaku Buki pioneered the techniques used by their mounted infantry—many of them from the Utaku, whose men could not fight on horseback alongside their women. It is not as prestigious as the cavalry schools, but is of great importance to the Unicorn Clan.
Choose either the Kenjutsu, Polearms, or Spears skill. You gain a free Emphasis of your choice in that Skill, and +1k0 when attacking using that Skill. If you choose Polearms or Spears, when wielding those weapons in the Defense or Full Defense stance, you add your Skill Rank to your Armor TN; if you choose Kenjutsu, you add half your Skill Rank (round down) instead.
On foot you move as though your Water were 1 higher, and you get +1k0 to Initiative Rolls.
When using your chosen weapon Skill, you may attack as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
Once per Skirmish, while wielding your chosen weapon, you can spend 1 Void Point to add your Honor Rank in unkept dice to your attack roll. You move as though your Water were 2 higher (rather than 1; see Speed of My Sisters).
Your Armor TN bonus (see Choose your Weapon) applies in the Attack Stance. Once per skirmish, while in the Full Attack Stance, you get +4k2 to your damage rolls with your chosen weapon; if your chosen weapon is Polearms or Spears, this can be done in the Attack Stance.
The White Guard are an elite heavy cavalry unit at the heart of the Unicorn army, the best warriors of the Moto. They fight the gaijin and anything that threatens the legacy of the Moto.
At the start of your Turn, you can spend a Void Point as a Free Action and choose an opponent within 30'. The target suffers TN penalties to all actions equal to your Lore: Theology Skill Rank until the end of the encounter. You can affect only one target at a time.
You ignore TN penalties from Wound Ranks equal to double your Lore: Theology Skill Rank.
When you make an attack, you can spend a Void Point to add 5× your Lore: Theology Skill Rank to the total of your roll.
Kurayami-ha Mura (Dark Edge Village) in the Unicorn Clan's Koubaku province was the location of the first, as-yet unnamed, Emerald Tournament, where Kakita defeated Matsu. Today, the Emerald Championship is still decided there. The Calm Heart Dojo there trains the Uincorn in the dueling arts.
These pacifistic ascetics refuse to use their weapons, though they still carry them, and serve as diplomats, especially to the Crane and Phoenix.
The Unicorn Clan caravans that travel the Empire and beyond, trading in unusual and precious goods, are led by masters trained by the Ide family.
Commerce is below the samurai, but is necessary to maintain the engines of war. The Ide use a facade of affability masking cut-throat bargaining to advance the prosperity of the Unicorn Clan.
Sometimes called the Lords of the Plain by others, the Iuchi Couriers are unmatched in speed when they travel. They beseech the Earth kami to prepare a path for them, allowing their horses to ride longer, without missteps.
The Unicorn are the children of the Four Winds, and their wanderlust is legendary. The Iuchi Traveller is born onto the road, moving from place to place, hoping to see all the wonders of the Empire. They have developed rituals to help travel the land.
The Moto are known for wild charges at the enemy lines and all-out assaults, and the Moto Fanatics somehow manage to survive these.
The Unicorn Clan, particularly the Shinjo, believe in protecting the common people, and train magistrates for this task.
The Shinjo served the Unicorn Clan as advance scouts on their arduous travels. After their return to Rokugan, the Shinjo Scouts exchanged knowledge with the Hiruma, making both even more formidable.
Bariqu was introduced to the Unicorn by the Ujik-Hai, who became thE Moto family. It focuses on throwing the opponent, and utilizes joint-locks and paralyzing holds.
One of the things the Unicorn brought back from foreign lands was a breed of war dogs, fierce and loyal animals that fight alongside their masters. A small dojo trains bushi in handling these animals.
The Unicorn Clan brought back a foreign style of archery, where the archer draws the arrow back and sights down the shaft, releasing once they are confident in their aim.
The Utaku breed the strongest horses, and only their Battle Maidens may ride them into battle. The men of the family raise and train these horses, and the Utaku Horse Master is the epitome of this skill.