Into the Void (Legend of the Five Rings)

[Nix's Warden]

No votes on the items until I know more about them.

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)
-[X] "Hikaru-sama, why does the wind not blow through the courtyard?"

[X] "It means that through Void, we are connected to the world. Our actions and inaction affect not only ourselves, but ripples out and touches all around us. Removing oneself from worldly distractions to meditate is a step on the road to enlightenment, but it is only one step, and meditation is not the only road. A man cannot understand the Tao just by removing himself from the world, because the world is a part of him, and he a part of the world."

@Hello can you give us any hints regarding the items on the shrine? I legit have no idea what they could mean/symbolize.

 

[andy50]

[X] A stone bowl imbedded with tiny flecks of obsidian
[X] A small packet of pitch black sand
[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens


[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)\
-"Hikaru-Sama, have you seen how the wind is not blowing?"

[X] No-dachi (giant samurai sword)

[X] "Nothing much, I think little of these things. I merely walk forward."

Don't kill me Hello

 

[andy50]

Important to note that, countless people have talked with the Kami and said the same ridiculous mumbo jumbo. I doubt the Kami has ever got a response quite like this before. Fight against the grain guys, be different don't be sheep.

 

[Iandude0]

[x] andy50

 

[Ashmaker]

Important to note that, countless people have talked with the Kami and said the same ridiculous mumbo jumbo. I doubt the Kami has ever got a response quite like this before. Fight against the grain guys, be different don't be sheep.

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True, but I think we should take it seriously. If you could somehow convince @Hello and @storybookknight to switch out Sworn Enemy with Obtuse, then I wouldn't hesitate to vote for your suggestion, but with the build we have now I think we should try to respect the traditions of our Clan.

Obtuse [Mental] (3 Points)
The point of many fine things simply escapes you. Poetry, art, music… it all seems meaningless to you. The Experience Point cost for increasing any High Skill other than Investigation or Medicine is doubled. This Disadvantage is worth 4 points to Crab and bushi characters.

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[andy50]

WORD FROM OUR TSUNDERE GM

Regarding importance of order of objects


Hello: Well the objects in general are either inheritance objects or questy objects

First Choice

Hello: The first one is an inheritance object
Hello: Something stuffed in your basket when you were dropped off at the base of the mountain
Hello: I will tell you up front, the bowl is probably the most fucked up choice
Hello: It determines who you were parents were

Andy50: but if we chose bowl would the character have to discover who his parents were
Andy50: or does he already know?
Hello: He won't know in any of the choices
Hello: If or when it comes up
Hello: Will depend on player choices
Hello: I will however give you ideas

Second Choice


Hello: The second your sensei
Hello: The middle choice is whichever sensei you were closest too
Hello: Hint, Hikaru is not on that lisy
Andy50: ... none of the mentor candidates are dragons right?
Andy50: the flying kind
Hello: Not as far as Hideo knows

Third Choice

Hello: The third who you interacted with outside the monastery
Hello: Questy objects are backstory objects which you got for doing stuff
Hello: That is the third object you pick


What the choices mean

Hello: So the bowl is obviously Lying Darkness shit
Hello: The silk thing is Crane/Imperial shenanigans
Hello: The knife is Crab nonsense
Hello: The bird feathers are Phoenix/Crane stuffs
Hello: The sand is mystery box
Hello: The dragon is dragon
Andy50: a real dragon
Andy50: or the clan
Hello: Why not both Andy


Most importantly my conclusion. Dragons are cool, vote dragon for third option

 

[Ashmaker]

Right, I guess I should edit my post then.

Hello: The first one is an inheritance object
Hello: Something stuffed in your basket when you were dropped off at the base of the mountain
Hello: It determines who you were parents were

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Hello: I will tell you up front, the bowl is probably the most fucked up choice

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Oooh. So tempting.

Hello: The sand is mystery box

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But I can't resist Mystery Box Parents™.

 

[A Nation's Virtue]

For some reason I have this weird suspicion that taking the rising dragon statue for inheritance means our dad is Togashi. Clearly dragon needs to be our first choice.

Also the sand is probably gaijin powder.

 

[Dark as Silver]

Hey first of all could we get a character sheet now?
Secondly. How is order determined? Are you going by plan?
Thirdly this is mostly a place holder vote.

[X] A stone bowl imbedded with tiny flecks of obsidian
[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A bundle of brightly colored bird feathers

Hard mode go. Regarding the bowl at least. It makes sense that our sensei is a dragon. The clan that is not an actual dragon. And I picked a Crane thing because we're damn good at Iajutsu.

[X] Katana (think normal samurai sword)

No dachi does more damage, but we have 3 ranks of iajutsu. As much as I'd love to see the look on a Kakitas face when we tried to duel with a No-Dachi it would either not be allowed or we'd be penalized.

And regarding Sinsei
[X] No one can truly understand the Tao because the more you know, the more you know you have left to learn.
Someone reshape that into a better sentence please.

 

[A Nation's Virtue]

I'm actually pretty sure that dueling with a nodachi is fine, at least according to the dueling errata in Imperial Archives (I think? May actually be Secrets of the Empire). It mentions stuff about dueling with non-katana swords.

We'll also have a katana either way as a samurai.
EDIT: Yeah, it just says swords and not daisho.

 

[Arbit]

[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A deep red silk ribbon
[X] A bundle of brightly coloured bird feathers

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)\
-[X]"Hikaru-Sama, have you seen how the wind is not blowing?"

[X] Katana

[X] "It means that through Void, we are connected to the world. Our actions and inaction affect not only ourselves, but ripples out and touches all around us. Removing oneself from worldly distractions to meditate is a step on the road to enlightenment, but it is only one step, and meditation is not the only road. A man cannot understand the Tao just by removing himself from the world, because the world is a part of him, and he a part of the world."

 

[Dark as Silver]

I'm actually pretty sure that dueling with a nodachi is fine, at least according to the dueling errata in Imperial Archives (I think? May actually be Secrets of the Empire). It mentions stuff about dueling with non-katana swords.

We'll also have a katana either way as a samurai.
EDIT: Yeah, it just says swords and not daisho.

Click to shrink...

Not for an Iajutsu duel its not. The length would make it impossible to draw and strike at the same time. That's before you consider that its usually carried on the back rather than the hip.

If Hello comes along and says that 'no I will not be penalizing you for using a No Dachi in a duel'. I might reconsider, however until we get that we're essentially missing out on one of our characters strengths. Iajutsu 3, Air 3 and Void 4 make us quite a strong iajutsu duelist. Especially for IR1.

 

[veekie]

[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A deep red silk ribbon
[X] A bundle of brightly coloured bird feathers

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)
-[X]"Hikaru-Sama, have you seen how the wind is not blowing?"

[X] Katana

[X] "It means that through Void, we are connected to the world. Our actions and inaction affect not only ourselves, but ripples out and touches all around us. Removing oneself from worldly distractions to meditate is a step on the road to enlightenment, but it is only one step, and meditation is not the only road. A man cannot understand the Tao just by removing himself from the world, because the world is a part of him, and he a part of the world."

 

[lavanderjasmine]

[X] A stone bowl imbedded with tiny flecks of obsidian
[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A bundle of brightly colored bird feathers

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)
-[X]"Hikaru-Sama, have you seen how the wind is not blowing?"

[X] Katana

[X] "It means that through Void, we are connected to the world. Our actions and inaction affect not only ourselves, but ripples out and touches all around us. Removing oneself from worldly distractions to meditate is a step on the road to enlightenment, but it is only one step, and meditation is not the only road. A man cannot understand the Tao just by removing himself from the world, because the world is a part of him, and he a part of the world."

 

[Da Boyz]

[X] A stone bowl imbedded with tiny flecks of obsidian
[X] A deep red silk ribbon
[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] No-dachi (giant samurai sword)
[X] "My understanding of Shinsei's words are that one should never let oneself be consumed in pursuit of a goal to the exclusion of all else, even in pursuit of a worthy goal such as enlightenment. The Tao is the Way of the world, and to remove oneself completely from it only hinders one's journey on the Way."

Hahaha. Oh this is going to be great.

 

[whydoyoubother]

[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A lovingly polished knife
[x] A deep red silk ribbon

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)
-[X] "Hikaru-sama, why does the wind not blow through the courtyard?"

[X] Katana

[x] Ponder the wisdom of trying to Out Dragon Togashi, realize it is foolishness
"It means to me that Shinsei was saying he would not eat until you did my lord. It means that we all have things to learn and that retreating from the world too long is just as bad as delving too deeply into it. Balance in all things, this is what I believe that the Tao shows us."

 

[Ephemeral_Dreamer]

[x] A deep red silk ribbon
[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A lovingly polished knife

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)
-[X] "Hikaru-sama, why does the wind not blow through the courtyard?"

[X] Katana

[x] Ponder the wisdom of trying to Out Dragon Togashi, realize it is foolishness
"It means to me that Shinsei was saying he would not eat until you did my lord. It means that we all have things to learn and that retreating from the world too long is just as bad as delving too deeply into it. Balance in all things, this is what I believe that the Tao shows us."

 

[Hello]

Not for an Iajutsu duel its not. The length would make it impossible to draw and strike at the same time. That's before you consider that its usually carried on the back rather than the hip.

If Hello comes along and says that 'no I will not be penalizing you for using a No Dachi in a duel'. I might reconsider, however until we get that we're essentially missing out on one of our characters strengths. Iajutsu 3, Air 3 and Void 4 make us quite a strong iajutsu duelist. Especially for IR1.

Click to shrink...

Mechanically L5R takes no distinction between readying a large weapon like a no-dachi and a medium weapon like a katana so I don't feel comfortable penalizing you for using it in a duel, unless for some reason you want me to add extra mechanics to make your life harder?

So remember that post towards the beginning where I said that dueling isn't even close to being codified? In Crane lands dueling will probably be expected to be Iaijutsu, but you can still say something like "I am Dragon, we wrestle now" and lose no honor because the rules haven't been set. Outside of the Crane? Duels are pretty much always to the death kenjutsu matches, again without loss of honor.

I will put a poll up for the picture I guess. Character sheet incoming.

 

[A Nation's Virtue]

Not for an Iajutsu duel its not. The length would make it impossible to draw and strike at the same time. That's before you consider that its usually carried on the back rather than the hip.

If Hello comes along and says that 'no I will not be penalizing you for using a No Dachi in a duel'. I might reconsider, however until we get that we're essentially missing out on one of our characters strengths. Iajutsu 3, Air 3 and Void 4 make us quite a strong iajutsu duelist. Especially for IR1.

Click to shrink...

I know Hello already answered, but the errata states that you don't need your sword in the sheath at the start. It's standard, but people like the Mirumoto (who are specifically mentioned in the errata) would have a pretty hard time readying both weapons since they're dual wielded and you need both hands to do an iaijutsu cut.

 

[Dark as Silver]

Mechanically L5R takes no distinction between readying a large weapon like a no-dachi and a medium weapon like a katana so I don't feel comfortable penalizing you for using it in a duel, unless for some reason you want me to add extra mechanics to make your life harder?

So remember that post towards the beginning where I said that dueling isn't even close to being codified? In Crane lands dueling will probably be expected to be Iaijutsu, but you can still say something like "I am Dragon, we wrestle now" and lose no honor because the rules haven't been set. Outside of the Crane? Duels are pretty much always to the death kenjutsu matches, again without loss of honor.

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Personally I went to the school of 'Thats stupid so you can't do it.' but you're QM here I guess.
And I am aware that dueling rules haven't been formalised yet I was just working under the assumption that we can't use Iajutsu with a katana and that meant that we'd have wasted points on it.

I know Hello already answered, but the errata states that you don't need your sword in the sheath at the start. It's standard, but people like the Mirumoto (who are specifically mentioned in the errata) would have a pretty hard time readying both weapons since they're dual wielded and you need both hands to do an iaijutsu cut.

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Core book I assume but could you give me the page please. Considering that iajutsu is literally the act of drawing and cutting in a single movement I assume that what you're reading is an option for if a kenjutsu fighter wishes to use kenjutsu in a duel and still have the moment of focus.

 

[A Nation's Virtue]

Personally I went to the school of 'Thats stupid so you can't do it.' but you're QM here I guess.
And I am aware that dueling rules haven't been formalised yet I was just working under the assumption that we can't use Iajutsu with a katana and that meant that we'd have wasted points on it.

Core book I assume but could you give me the page please. Considering that iajutsu is literally the act of drawing and cutting in a single movement I assume that what you're reading is an option for if a kenjutsu fighter wishes to use kenjutsu in a duel and still have the moment of focus.

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The errata are available for free online on the official site. It's literally the the first page of the errata.

So yeah. Hello's decision is in line with the official stance of 4e.

 

[Nix's Warden]

[X] A small carved wooden figurine of a dragon reaching to the heavens
[X] A deep red silk ribbon
[X] A bundle of brightly coloured bird feathers

[X] Ask Mirumoto Hikaru. (He does not seem to like you, but asking questions is part of the Tao)
-[X]"Hikaru-Sama, have you seen how the wind is not blowing?"

[X] Katana

[X] "It means that through Void, we are connected to the world. Our actions and inaction affect not only ourselves, but ripples out and touches all around us. Removing oneself from worldly distractions to meditate is a step on the road to enlightenment, but it is only one step, and meditation is not the only road. A man cannot understand the Tao just by removing himself from the world, because the world is a part of him, and he a part of the world."

Nope. No Lying Darkness shit. No way no how.

 

[Dark as Silver]

The errata are available for free online on the official site. It's literally the the first page of the errata.

So yeah. Hello's decision is in line with the official stance of 4e.

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Ah this bit?

The Physical Nature of a Duel: The ideal form of a duel consists of two duelists facing off, a few paces apart, with their blades sheathed until the moment of the Strike – at which point they leap forward, drawing their blades near-simultaneously. However, a duel does not have to exactly conform to this ideal – for example, many Dragon samurai will start a duel with their swords already drawn, and battlefield duels routinely take place with the characters already having their swords drawn. The one universal principle is that a duel is fought only with swords, and usually the katana. A contest fought with other weapons is not an iaijutsu duel – it is merely a 102 The Imperial Archives Appendix one-on-one skirmish. Mechanically, these physical details make no difference to how an iaijutsu duel is resolved – the same Assessment/Focus/Strike format is followed.

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My argument is that Iajutsu refers specifically to drawing the sword and attacking. I don't disagree that Assesment/Focus duel rounds could be applied to other types of duels.

 

[A Nation's Virtue]

Ah this bit?

My argument is that Iajutsu refers specifically to drawing the sword and attacking. I don't disagree that Assesment/Focus duel rounds could be applied to other types of duels.

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I learned iaijutsu many years ago so I know you'd be right in RL, but for the purposes of the game that's not how it works. It's why none of the three phases of a duel are called "Draw" but Assessment, Focus, and Strike. The text that you quoted (which is specifically about iaijutsu duels and not other kinds) is also disagreeing with you, so I don't really see anything to argue about.

 

[Dark as Silver]

I learned iaijutsu many years ago so I know you'd be right in RL, but for the purposes of the game that's not how it works. It's why none of the three phases of a duel are called "Draw" but Assessment, Focus, and Strike. The text that you quoted (which is specifically about iaijutsu duels) is also disagreeing with you, so I don't really see anything to argue about.

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So if we were facing off with Tetsubos we'd have to use Iajutsu instead of Heavy Weapons?
I'm happy using the Assessment,Focus Strike format for other places however its trivial to substitute the relevant weapon skill rather than iajutsu for everything.