L5R: Skills

Sub-Types: Social, Perform

Emphases: Clan (e.g. Crane), Gender (e.g. Man), Profession (e.g. Samurai)

The skill of passing yourself off as someone else, both in appearance, manner and speech.

Disguising yourself is TN 15 for the same Clan, gender, and profession. Each aspect that is different adds +5 to TN. Imitating a specific individual adds an extra +15 to TN. You can use Raises to make the disguise harder to penetrate. Seeing through your disguise requires an Investigation/PER roll, TN 15 + 5 per Raise you made.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: -5 to TN to create disguise.
• Rank 5: -10 to TN (total) to create disguise.
• Rank 7: -15 to TN (total) to create disguise.

Sub-Types: Macro (includes Bonsai, Gardening, Ikebana, Origami, Painting, Poetry, Sculpture, Tattooing, and others)

Emphases: Varies by sub-skill

These skills are less about earning a living and more about expressing refinement and even meditation. They are courtly and suitable for impressing your betters. (Tattooing is only acceptable among the Dragon, however.)

Mastery Abilities: None

Sub-Types: Artisan

Emphases: Cipher, High Rokugani

Calligraphy is the art of writing beautifully; it not a necessary component of literacy, but is an improvement on it. (All samurai can read and write.) It is practical—shugenja in particular use ciphers and codes to write their secret scrolls (each Clan has its own cipher, but others also exist)—but also an art form in itself.

If you have the Cipher emphasis, you are assumed by default to know one cipher used by your Clan. TN to break ciphers is variable, usually equal to the Calligraphy (Cipher)/INT roll to create it.

The High Rokugani emphasis is used for the ancient, sophisticated style of writing suitable for the Imperial Court.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: +10 to attempts to break codes or ciphers.

Sub-Types: Social

Emphases: Gossip, Manipulation, Rhetoric

This is the primary court skill, measuring ability to take part in the intrigues and political games at any court. It is the basic "social offense" skill (where Etiquette is the basic "social defense" skill). It can be used to verbally outmaneuver, influence, steer conversation, gossip, and deliver timely bon mots or cutting remarks.

Getting gossip on or spreading rumors about someone usually has a TN of 10 + (5 × their Glory Rank) - (5 × your Glory Rank). A Raise can be used to conceal your role as the source of gossip.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You gain +3 extra Insight (above the Insight from your Rings and Skill Ranks).
• Rank 5: You get +1k0 to Contested Rolls using this skill.
• Rank 7: You gain another +7 extra Insight (cumulative with the Rank 3 ability).

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Astrology, Kawaru

No mere fortune telling, divination is a sophisticated art of glimpsing the threads of fate. Kawaru is the more popular method, involving casting small stones, sticks, and coins engraved with hexagram symbols into a vessel and reading their patterns. Astrology is more involved, involving comparisons of complex star charts.

Divination can be attempted once per day, at TN 15 (or more, at the GM's option). A re-roll can be made immediately by spending a Void Point (+10 TN as usual). A success can give you a vague idea of what awaits.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: A re-roll can be made without spending a Void Point.

Sub-Types: Social

Emphases: Bureaucracy, Conversation, Courtesy

The Empire's rigidly hierarchical society has no end of convoluted and often arbitrary rules of conduct, and knowing them is essential to samurai, especially in court, since giving offense to someone may have dire—even deadly—consequences. It is the basic "social defense" skill (where Courtier is the basic "social offense" skill). This usually involved the Courtesy emphasis.

The Bureaucracy emphasis is for navigating government channels, arranging meetings with important people and the like. The Conversation emphasis is useful for finding a suitable, non-offensive topic of discussion (TN 15+).

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You gain +3 extra Insight (above the Insight from your Rings and Skill Ranks).
• Rank 5: You get +1k0 to Contested Rolls using this skill.
• Rank 7: You gain another +7 extra Insight (cumulative with the Rank 3 ability).

Sub-Types: Macro (includes Fortunes & Winds [AWA], Go [INT], Kemari [AGI], Letters [AWA], Sadane [AWA], Shogi [INT], etc.)

Emphases: Varies by sub-skill

The samurai often pass time with games. Kemari (where players kick a small ball to keep it off the ground) is popular with more physical clans, like the Crab and Unicorn; go and shogi (strategic board games) are popular with tactically-minded samurai, especially the Lion and some Crab; letters (where participants trade elaborately-written letters as a back-and-forth) is popular with the Crane and Phoenix; sadane (a game of exchanging impromptu criticisms on a subject) is beloved of the Scorpion; Fortunes & Winds (a dice game) is mostly popular with the Mantis, as many other samurai see the betting involved as crude.

Games skills are usually used with Contested Rolls.

Mastery Abilities: None

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Interrogation, Notice, Search

This is the skill both of examining and evaluating your physical surroundings and then interpreting the clues, and of questioning people to extract information from them. It is essential for magistrates. Re-rolls are permitted (requiring an additional hour of work and increasing TN by +15). Contested Rolls with Stealth (Notice and Search emphases) and Sincerity (Interrogation emphasis) are common.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: The re-roll's TN is not increased.
• Rank 5: You get +5 to any Contested Roll using this skill.
• Rank 7: You may make a second re-roll (third attempt) when using the Search emphasis.

Sub-Types: Macro (includes Anatomy*, Architecture, Bushido, Clan [choose one], Elements, Gaijin Culture [choose one], Ghosts, Heraldry, History, Maho*, Nature, Nonhuman Culture [choose one], Omens, Shadowlands*, Shugenja, Spirit Realms, Theology, Underworld*, War, and countless others; * considered Low Skill)

Emphases: Varies by sub-skill

These skills indicate scholarly expertise in the subject, beyond what most samurai would know.

Mastery Abilities: None

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Antidotes, Disease, Herbalism, Non-Humans (choose one kind), Wound Treatment

Medicine is used to treat wounds, illnesses, and even spiritual ailments. The approach is generally very holistic, based on the philosophy of the Five Elements. TN varies by disease and poison treated. Treating non-humans requires an appropriate emphasis.

Treating Wounds requires a Medicine (Wound Treatment)/INT roll (TN 15) to heal 1k1 Wounds. Each Raise adds +1k0. An injured patient can only benefit from one Medicine Roll per day, and each treatment takes one use of a medicine kit (a fresh one has ten uses).

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You heal +1k0 Wounds on a successful roll.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Fasting, Void Recovery

Bushido includes following the Tao of Shinsei, which involves meditation and getting in touch with the Void.

A Meditation (Void Recovery)/Void roll (TN 20) allows you to recover 1 Void Point with a half hour of meditation. A Meditation (Fasting)/STA roll (TN 15 + 5 per day of fasting) allows you to ignore the effects of going without food and water.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: A successful roll restores up to 2 Void Points.
• Rank 5: TN for Meditation (Fasting) rolls is reduced by 5.
• Rank 7: A successful roll restores up to 3 Void Points.

Sub-Types: Macro (includes Biwa [AGI], Dance [AGI], Drums [AGI], Flute [AGI], Oratory [AWA], Puppeteer [AGI], Shamisen [AGI], Song [AWA], Storytelling [AWA], etc.), Social

Emphases: Varies by sub-skill

These performance skills make for appropriate entertainment in court, and can show refinement and sophistication. They may also be used to move audiences.

Mastery Abilities: None

Sub-Types: Social

Emphases: Deceit (Low Skill), Honesty

Rokugani culture is less concerned with honesty (with the notable exception of the Unicorn Clan), and more with the appearance of honesty—sincerity.

The Honesty emphasis is used to speak the truth convincingly, while the Deceit emphasis is used to lie convincingly. Rolls may be Contested by Investigation.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +5 to any Contested Roll using this skill.

Sub-Types: Social when using the Importune Emphasis to interact with kami

Emphases: Importune, Spell Research

This skill involves the theory of using the magic of the kami, and is essential to scholarly shugenja.

Spellcraft (Spell Reserach)/INT is used to formulate new spells, with a TN of 10 + Mastery Level × 10. This requires one week of uninterrupted study per Mastery Level. The GM must approve any new spells.

The Importune emphasis is used when using the Commune spell to speak with a spirit, and to persuade the spirit to help.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +1k0 on Spell Casting Rolls.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: None

This ancient ceremony was supposedly developed by Lady Doji herself, and is handed down through samurai families. It involves all steps from setting the table to drinking, all done in silence.

With a Tea Ceremony/Void roll (TN 15 +5 per participant after the second), up to five people will recover a spent Void Point. This takes 30 minutes and requires a tea set and a quiet location.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: All participants regain 2 Void Points instead.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Climbing, Running, Swimming, Throwing

This skill reflects the physical conditioning typical for warriors, but is often achieved in other ways as well.

The Throwing emphasis covers throwing various weapons, including knives and wakizashi; this is treated as an attack roll with Athletics (Throwing)/AGI.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: Moderate Terrain no longer impedes your movement, and Difficult Terrain only reduces your Water Ring by 1 (rather than 2) for the purposes of movement.
• Rank 5: You no longer suffer movement penalties from terrain.
• Rank 7: You may add 5 feet to the total of one Move Action per Round (not to exceed your maximum movement per Round).

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Mass Combat, Skirmish

This skill covers many aspects of warfare, from planning strategy and tactics, administering military logistics, command and maneuvering in battle, and surviving battle yourself. It is mostly used in the Mass Battle System.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You add your Battle Skill Rank to your Initiative Score in combat.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: None

This is the skill of defending yourself in combat through positioning, movement, and use of armor, and is used when assuming the Defense and Full Defense Stances.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You can keep your previous Defense/REF roll result when you maintain the Full Defense Stance in subsequent Rounds, rather than rolling again.
• Rank 5: You get an extra +3 to Armor TN in the Defense and Full Defense Stances.
• Rank 7: You can take one Simple Action (but cannot attack) in the Full Defense Stance.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Gaijin Riding Horse, Rokugani Pony, Utaku Steed

Practically all samurai know how to ride a horse at easy speeds on level terrain, but this skill is used for riding hard or in poor circumstances, or riding in battle. TNs to control horses vary by horse and circumstance.

• Control horse at full gallop: TN 10
• Control horse around violence, fire, or predator: TN 20
• Ride horse into battle: TN 25 (roll once at beginning of battle)

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You may use the Full Attack Stance on horseback.
• Rank 5: You can mount a horse as a Simple Action (rather than a Complex Action) and dismount as a Free Action (rather than a Simple Action).
• Rank 7: You can mount a horse as a Free Action.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Survival, Tracking, Trailblazing

Hunting is a common sport among the samurai, done with bow and arrow or spear. The samurai do not usually eat game, however.

The Survival emphasis is for finding sustenance and shelter in the wilds (TN depends on the environment). The Tracking emphasis is used to find and follow tracks in rural or wilderness settings (multiple rolls for longer trails). The Trailblazing emphasis is for forging a trail through the wilderness for others to follow, letting a group make better time.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +1k0 to Stealth Skill Rolls in the wilderness.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Assessment, Focus

Iaijutsu is the art of the quick draw, evolved into a system of dueling among the samurai. It involves a considerable mental component in assessing your opponent, and a spiritual one in focusing your will on the one strike.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You can ready a katana as a Free Action (rather than a Simple Action).
• Rank 5: In an Iaijutsu Duel, you get one Free Raise on your Iaijutsu (Focus)/Void roll in the Focus Stage.
• Rank 7: In an Iaijutsu Duel, you get +2k2 on Focus Rolls (instead of the usual +1k1) if your Assessment Roll exceeds your opponent's by 10 or more.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Grappling, Improvised Weapons, Martial Arts

This is the art of unarmed combat, practiced by many warriors, including samurai. Monks hone these skills to perfection.

Unarmed attacks have DR 0k1 (i.e. you roll your STR and keep 1 die). This skill is also used for grappling and for using improvised weapons (GM's judgement as to DR; most add either rolled or kept dice compared to unarmed attacks, but not both).

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You get +1k0 to unarmed attack damage.
• Rank 5: You get a Free Raise towards initiating a grapple.
• Rank 7: You get +0k1 to unarmed attack damage (for a total DR of 1k2).

Sub-Types: Macro (all the Skills listed below, and any skills for weapons not covered by these)

Emphases: Varies by sub-skill

Weapon Skills are used to make attacks.

Mastery Abilities: By sub-skill (skills not listed below have no Mastery Abilities)

Chain Weapons (AGI) +

Heavy Weapons (AGI) +

Kenjutsu (AGI) +

Knives (AGI) +

Kyujutsu (REF) +

Ninjutsu (AGI or REF) +

Polearms (AGI) +

Spears (AGI) +

Staves (AGI) +

War Fan (AGI) +

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: By animal (Dogs, Falcons, Horses, Lions, etc.)

Trained animals are used for many purposes, from transportation to recreation and war. Horses are obviously very important to the samurai, but falconry is also considered a court-appropriate sport (and the small Falcon Clan is famous for it). Pigeons are sometimes used to deliver messages. The Unicorn Clan sometimes use war dogs, and the Lion Clan are notorious for their war lions.

• Train animal for simple task (come, stay): TN 10, several hours to a few days
• Train animal to attack on command: TN 20, several intensive days or weeks
• Train animal for unusual tasks (scouting falcon, messenger pigeon, dog seeks wounded): TN 30, several weeks or months

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You may train commonly domesticated animals (like dogs, falcons, or horses) for use by others.
• Rank 5: You may command animals you have trained for your use to attack a target. The animal will flee if badly wounded.
• Rank 7: You may give non-verbal commands to animals you have trained.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Appraisal, Mathematics

Dealing with money is not dishonorable as such, but it is seen as beneath samurai, and practicing a trade—and particularly that of a merchant, who does not produce anything and only makes money from the work of others—may disgrace a samurai. Still, some samurai—particularly of the Mantis Clan and the Yasuki family of the Crab Clan—are learned in the art of commerce, the better to understand and supervise their merchant vassals and servants.

The Appraisal emphasis is used to quickly estimate the value of some object in a given market. The Mathematics emphasis is used to figure taxes, tariffs, and other calculations.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You may increase or decrease the price of an object you are buying or selling by 20%.

Sub-Types: Macro (including Armorsmithing**, Blacksmithing, Bowyer**, Brewing, Carpentry, Cartography, Cobbling, Cooking, Farming, Fishing, Masonry, Mining, Poison*, Pottery, Shipbuilding, Tailoring, Weaponsmithing**, Weaving, etc.) [* Low Skill, ** High Skill]

Emphases: Varies by sub-skill

While artisans produce items of beauty and abstract value, craftsmen produce things of concrete worth and practical value. Certain crafts are considered High Skills, worthy of samurai, but most are best left to commoners.

Mastery Abilities: None

Sub-Types: Craft Skill

Emphases: Construction, Siege

Engineering is a rare skill, used to construct—and deconstruct—buildings, including large fortifications. The Kaiu family of the Crab Clan are the undisputed masters of this skill.

The Construction emphasis is used to make plans for others to follow and to supervise work. The Siege emphasis is used to destroy or weaken fortifications and constructions, and includes the building of siege engines.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +5 to any Cooperative or Cumulative Engineering Skill Roll.

Sub-Types: Craft Skill

Emphases: Knot-work, Navigation

Trade and shipping vessels ply the coastal waters of Rokugan, and the Mantis Clan sail ships between the mainland and the Islands of Silk & Spice. The Mantis are the masters of sailing and shipmaking, and may even have sailed beyond the borders of the Empire.

The Navigation emphasis is used to determine your location by the stars, and to take a course to a known destination. Using it at land is at +10 TN. The Knot-work emphasis is used to work the ropes and sails on a vessel.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +5 to any Cooperative or Cumulative Sailing Skill Roll.

Sub-Types: Craft

Emphases: By type of item (Artwork, Documents, Personal Seals, etc.)

This skill is used to falsify any of the many documents important in the Empire, from travel papers and lineages to Imperial decrees. It can also be used to forge works of art—making a copy of an existing work—provided the forger has a relevant Artisan skill.

When a forgery is made, record the total of the Skill Roll; this is the TN for any Investigation/PER Skill Roll to try to detect it.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: You get +1k0 to Forgery Skill Rolls to create a forgery and set the TN to detect it.
• Rank 5: You get +1k0 to any rolls to detect forgeries.
• Rank 7: You get +0k1 (total +1k1) to Forgery Skill Rolls to create a forgery and set the TN to detect it.

Sub-Types: Social

Emphases: Bullying, Control, Torture

Intimidation is the use of threats, overt or implied, to get what you want. It is dishonorable, but sometimes it is the only tool a bushi has available. The courtiers of the Mantis Clan specialize in it.

The Bullying emphasis is used to get immediate, short-term results. The Control emphasis is a long-term manipulation, shaping the targets' will to your own and dominate through fear. Torture is mostly used by hinin servants of magistrates to extract confessions and information—no proper samurai would engage in this act.

Intimidation is usually a Contested Roll, usually with Etiquette (Courtesy)/WIL. The resisting party gets a bonus equal to their Honor Rank.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +5 to any Contested Rolls where you use Intimidation.

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Conceal, Escape, Pick Pocket, Prestidigitation

This is the skill of dextrously manipulating objects to mislead observers or hide your actions. It is strictly dishonorable.

The Conceal emphasis is used to hide small objects on your person; use a Contested Roll vs. Investigation (Notice or Search)/PER. The Escape emphasis is used to escape bonds; TN varies from 15 for simple ropes to 25 or 30 for the best chains and bindings, but the GM may instead call for a Contested Roll vs. the binder's Sailing (Knotwork)/AGI. The Pick Pockets emphasis is used to lift objects off someone's person, contested by Investigation (Notice)/PER. The Prestidigitation emphasis may be used to distract or entertain people.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You may conceal small weapons (using the Conceal emphasis).

Sub-Types: None

Emphases: Ambush, Shadowing, Sneaking (no Honor loss), Spell Casting

Though dishonorable, stealth has important uses in hunting and in warfare—the value of scouting and spies is undeniable. Thus, this skill is seen as a necessary evil, though samurai should avoid its use, especially outside of war.

While using Stealth, you may take Move Actions only as Simple Actions, moving a number of feet equal to your Water Ring in feet.

The Ambush emphasis is Contested by Investigation (Notice)/PER, and may be used to gain advantage in the first round of combat. The Spell Casting emphasis is also contested by Investigation (Notice)/PER, and is used by shugenja to cast spells without being identified as the source. The Sneaking emphasis does not cause a loss of Honor, unlike the others.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 3: While using Stealth, your Simple Move Actions allow you to move Water ×5 feet.
• Rank 5: While using Stealth, your Simple Move Actions allow you to move Water ×10 feet.
• Rank 7: While using Stealth, you may take Free Move Actions as normal.

Sub-Types: Social

Emphases: Bribery, Seduction

Temptation is the skill of offering someone something they desire, in order to gain an advantage. The Scorpion Clan are the masters of this skill.

Temptation is best used against someone with an applicable Disadvantage (like Fascination, Greed, or Lechery). It is usually a Contested Roll vs. Etiquette (Courtesy)/WIL.

Mastery Abilities:

• Rank 5: You get +5 to any Contested Rolls where you use Temptation.