L5R General

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My playgroup is going to be doing the Second City Campaign and I want to play a Daigotsu Bushi helping the team along since no one has ever played with any of the Spider PCs and figured why not see how it works out.

The party is looking to be a Mantis from Kalani's Landing, a Unicorn from Journey's End, A Dragon from the Second City and myself, A Daigotsu from the Steel Soul Dojo so there wont be any IC outcry from working with a Spider as these clans were known to work together during this era.

I'm going to be the main powerhouse of the group and want to show up the Dragon player, who always tries to play the strongest dude. I normally play courtiers so I want to really min max this guy power lever wise since I heard these guys can get crazy. Any suggestions? I have about 180 exp to work with for the start.

For players :
>What class do you like to play more ? Shugenja, bushi or courtier ? Why ?

Usually a courtier, I like the intrigue of the court more then just killing other, this will actually be my first real combat character. We are going in the jungles so I need to be a real backbreaker.

I never actually played a Spider, but I've been through the books and chapters about them and yeah they can get pretty crazy. Which edition do you play in ?

4th mainly, since that's the only addition where they are a Great Clan

Alright, so, from what I can gather

>They're great in the jungle since they have Hunting as a School Skill so he'll be able to track stuff easily
>He can be as good in Kenjutsu as in Kyujutsu or Jiujitsu but I would advice focusing on only one of those to make him efficient
>His School Techniques will be based on his Taint and Strengh so boost that (considering you already have a +1 strengh to start (and a +1 stamina if you take the Daigotsu family)
>You can take one Low or Bugei skill, I would advice taking Intimidation (low skill) or Defense (bugei skill). Defense will help you tank and Intimidation is always useful, be it degrading.
>If you're looking for advantages and disadvantages, look no further than Shadowland Taint (if your GM agrees you can take it several times but I don't think he'll give you the extra XP more than once) and Strengh of the Earth as Advantage to be more efficient even when wounded.
>Other notable advantages would be Touch of the Spirit realm (Jigoku) and Crafty

Then, spend your XP wisely, more on Traits and Rings than Skills, raising your Water and Fire if you go for Kenjutsu, Water and earth if you go for Jiujitsu and Water and Air if you go for Kyujutsu.

Oh and don't forget to raise your Void to at least 3.

>How much of daylife managing to you put in your L5R games for players?

It doesn't happen much, but when it does, it is glorious. Dealing with minor but crazy stuff like spirits going apeshit, goblins infestations, quarreling peasants, stupid underlings, or even just petty criminals tend to be a lot of fun. It really drives home how samurai are supposed to be a cut above mundane problems.

On the other hand, family and private life usually take a back seat and we just assume they happen in a way the players want, unless some wacky stuff is up (cheating wife, dirt-old dad going to the warrior's pilgrimage, etc).

>What class do you like to play more ? Shugenja, bushi or courtier ? Why ?

I like playing bushi the most because with our homebrew rules, I can do some really sick combos in combat and be all-around awesome. Monks are close second because kiho gives more awesomeness, but tracking them is a chore.

>On the other hand, family and private life usually take a back seat and we just assume they happen in a way the players want

OP here, I personally like to put a lot of it in the games, but only when the group has had enough adventures together to be interested and invested in their firend's mundane troubles.

I tend to implement their lands as a way of rewarding them for taking care of it : I give them money if they exploit the ressources wisely, I give them influence in court for trating their guests well and other stuff.

And it's always fun to see your hiruma chatting with your Tsurughi about buying melted canons to make armors for the wall.

Any news about the card game? Or what FFG is doing with the RPG for that matter.

>What class do you like to play more ? Shugenja, bushi or courtier ? Why ?
Depends on the game, and what the GM isn't attentive to. I don't need a spotlight, but whatever that is, I don't want to play it.

>My playgroup is going to be doing the Second City Campaign
Is it bad how much I thoroughly hate playing in post Clan War eras? I just never want to play in the same time as the ancestral idiot ball of Toturi I, passed on to his children who left Ningen-do with zero heirs, or Daigotsu after coming back from Tsudao's sacrifice to become the dark paragon of Suedom.

Sup OP, just made the jump to l5r. Group played some CoC (which I liked) and DnD (which I have mixed feelings about) before. Glad to see some discussion going on! Was sorta forever DM with the other games and have been DMing with l5r too. But luckily, a few other of my players like the setting and system enough to learn how to run it. So that's exciting. So! To answer your questions!

My campaign so far hasn't really Incorporated fief management and so on yet, because my crew is on the move. But social situations and their emphasis is a lot more complicated in this game which I really really like. The structure of the system is really nice and the players actually enjoy the tedium of having to have traveling papers and all that jazz

>But social situations and their emphasis is a lot more complicated in this game which I really really like.

I agree with that : it's one of the only game that actually details interactions between clans and different levels of status. You can really have fun with it, by playing the subtleties to a maximum with courtier characters.

Okay I guess I should answer my own questions !

>How much of daylife managing to you put in your L5R games for players ? (taking care of the wife, the domain, the children) Do they like it ?

My group loves it and I love playing with it. It gives the universe a substance and their characters roots. they actually care about their spouse and lands, because they spent time and money for them and they were actually engaged. it leads to more personnal quests that involve lots of roleplay and it's so cool.

>What class do you like to play more ? Shugenja, bushi or courtier ? Why ?

I love playing shugenjas, for the shear amount of possibility it includes. I've played a lot of Isawa because they can be agressive, protective, tanks, damage sources or even utility mages.

I've played some bushi and courtier too but I really like shugenjas the best... And since there are some shugenjas that can be used as fighter and some others that can be used as courtiers (I'm talking to you Soshis, you wonderful bastards), I can always find fun in playing them.

Oh and I love Ishiken-sen. They're the best.

Well, for us family/private life is something the players should make up for their characters. If we have some downtime then a session might start with each player describing what his character has done during the break, and the GM just rolls with it.

On the other hand, our setting is such that things are supposed to run on their own momentum, so to speak, requiring little output from the people in charge. Lords are not supposed to do stuff, only ensure that their retainers do their job properly. Since that isn't very interesting, we tend to wave it away with a Skill roll of some sort (usually Bureaucracy or Instruction).

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So far, I've only played Shugenja, but there are a few ideas I have for bushi. Courtiers interest me too

>Courtiers interest me too, but I don't think I could play one right
Stupid cutoff.

There's one sure way to find out, and get better at the same time.

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Meh you can get used to it very fast, it's all about precision of your words

Hello there everyone !

I'm lauching a new L5R campaign soon and I'm looking for NPCs ideas, because I love to have a lot of them. Do you have concepts that you like using ? Ideas for bad guys, ennemis ?

I'll share some of mine during the day.

Have you tried going through Unexpected Allies and City Of Lies?

Couldn't find the pdf and I'd rather buy them if I really need them

Alirght, first of my own concept !

Madoka Kitsuki

Daughter of Ebi and Seiko Kitsuki, she was born in a family of pretty high status, her grandfather being the head of the Kitsuki family in the Dragon Clan and her father being the first in succession line.
When she was five, however, her mother, father and grandparents were accused and condemned for plotting against the Emperor's life. Being too young herself to be accused, she was adopted by her father's little sister, Meiko Kitsuki.
She grew up with the shame of her family's actions and their execution. She became extremely concerned with her honor and her behaviour, following her aunt's advices to keep a low profile since her family's reputation followed closely everywhere she went.

However, when she passed her gempuku, her father's spirit came to her, asking her to get revenge from his sister : Meiko had framed them using her Kitsuki techniques to forge evidences and get the at the head of the family (and therefore at the political leading of the Clan).
Furious, but understanding the need to keep her aunt thinking she was still oblivious, she has since then searched for proof to condemn her and avenge her parents, as well as to restore glory to her infamous name.

Madoka is usually pretty discreet and prefers listening to discussing, but she sometimes has a hard time witnessing the manipulations of the court she has to work in, since honesty is her first virtue.
When it doesn't concern her most important goal however, she can be pretty talkative and gives her opinions freely : what she has learned of the Kitsuki technique comes handy in a lot of crimes and plots. So even if she is definitely not a darling of the court (for being a Dragon and a Kitsuki and her name being tainted with treason), people often come to her when they are in a situation where their word isn't enough to prove their innocence.

Aaand an image to go with it

The original Unexpected Allies was a great trove of fresh characters for every clan. UA2, not so much. Dig through the previous l5r generals, if you're capable.

>Madoka Kitsuki
Kitsuki Madoka.

> accused and condemned for plotting against the Emperor's life
If it sticks, that accusation is strong enough that your family would be executed, too.

>Dragon and a Kitsuki and her name being tainted with treason
It's not really the kind of name that gets you into court. Even the Dragon would think of sending someone else instead.

>people often come to her when they are in a situation where their word isn't enough to prove their innocence
People come to the dishonoured foreign clanner, whose word is worth less than theirs, and methods are still not valued in court?

>If it sticks, that accusation is strong enough that your family would be executed, too.
Not if it's her own sister who uncovered the plot and who pleaded for Madoka to come with her

>It's not really the kind of name that gets you into court. Even the Dragon would think of sending someone else instead.
Except the Dragon often don't care about politics and Meiko is the own who chooses who goes there (and she wants her puppet well placed)

>People come to the dishonoured foreign clanner, whose word is worth less than theirs, and methods are still not valued in court?
It is often said in the book that their methods are not valued but they do solve cases. When you have less influence than your accuser, going to a Kitsuki is often your only hope to get justice since proof, proof that cannot be quesionned, is your only way out (and they are the only ones who accept to use this technique)

>Not if it's her own sister who uncovered the plot and who pleaded for Madoka to come with her
Once the accusation is in the open, it's out of her sister's hands. Imperial punishment is quite draconian, and only becomes more so with more important targets.

>Except the Dragon often don't care about politics
The Togashi don't care about politics. The Mirumoto deal with it in their stead, and thus do care.

>they are the only ones who accept to use this technique
The Dragon are the only ones who accept the Kitsuki technique when presented as such. Otherwise you're still stuck looking for someone of sufficient status who will provide testimony. "Proof" in Rokugan is not very advanced in Rokugan - if Doji Bob's sword is sticking out of the Bayushi Dan's back, then it's a given that Bob did it. The highest status samurai to provide testimony has the final say on what the truth is, even then.

How normie-friendly is L5R? Would someone who's used to playing DnD be able to adapt well to it?

I really want to run some non-ninja, feudal shenanigans.

>Once the accusation is in the open, it's out of her sister's hands. Imperial punishment is quite draconian, and only becomes more so with more important targets.
You're implying that the court would blindly execute Meiko, knowing that at least part of it (and the Scorpions most of all) are her accomplices ? They let her in this place, knowing that having a dishonest Kitsuki at the head of the family will allow them more freedom to plot.

>The Togashi don't care about politics. The Mirumoto deal with it in their stead, and thus do care.
They do but they trust the Kitsuki in doing so. And Meiko cimented their trust by seemingly being trustworthy and capable of making the sacrifice of her family for the Emperor.

>The Dragon are the only ones who accept the Kitsuki technique when presented as such. Otherwise you're still stuck looking for someone of sufficient status who will provide testimony. "Proof" in Rokugan is not very advanced in Rokugan - if Doji Bob's sword is sticking out of the Bayushi Dan's back, then it's a given that Bob did it. The highest status samurai to provide testimony has the final say on what the truth is, even then.
'Tis not what I read in the books, particularly the Major Clan's books. They are not appreciated for it, but blatently lying in front of the court's face when solid evidence is given is too dangerous for them not to consider what they have to say.

If you lean more on the combat and epic battles than on the politics, motsly anyone can adapt to it. But the heart of the game lies, for me at least, in this very political stuff that allows to avoid conflict and frame adversaries safely. but it takes time to adapt to when you're not used to precise roleplaying and to the japanese way of treating emotions, honor and status.

It's up to you in the end.

>If it sticks, that accusation is strong enough that your family would be executed, too.

Not necessarily. If it has enough actual effort put behind it (so the accused was really close to kill the Emperor) then the Imperials will sweep the whole case under the rug to save face.

Everyone who I'm playing DnD with is into Game of Thrones, so it shouldn't take too much to ease them into a political game. It'll ultimately be a matter of what they want, of course, but my main interest in L5R was in its very, very, detailed social rules and political matters.

If they're up for it, I'll offer L5R as an option.

I'd say play closer to ronin / merchant level, and you'll be able to manage feudal shenanigans, but also deal with people who aren't honour 8-10 (or trying to maintain the appearance of being so).

>political stuff that allows to avoid conflict and frame adversaries safely

You know, I have never, ever seen this in work in Rokugan.

Well that's because your GM doesn't allow it. There's no reason for it not to happen if you deal with it correctly.

I mean I haven't seen this working in the canon. I can remember Kachiko framing her adversaries safely, but she was Kachiko, and the super-silly Battle of Broken Daisho for avoiding conflict, but it was not only ridiculous but also non-political.

Not in the history maybe, I havn't read all of it, but it clearly states that courtiers are as respected as warriors because they can avoid unnecessary deaths and wars with their words (meaning that at some point there must have been some of that)

I think it's not stated in the canon because it mostly happens in times of peace, which are not really detailed for obvious reasons : in times of peace, ennemies are defeated with politics, not swords.

Okay then, second concept it is !

Utaku Akihide, courtier of the Ide school, 35 years old

Born in a family of five, his four big sisters all became fierce fighters like their mother was. But he was always more of a sensitive man, always scrupulous upon the necessity of killing fellow men, be it during wars or duels. It's his soft-hearted nature that drew him to the kind and honest Ide, supported by his parents who followed the matriachal ways of the Unicorn.

He was always percieved by his sensei to be bright and energetic, so he taught the boy to control his emotions better in order to one day make it into court. Akihide learned a lot and revealed himself to be a thoughtful and kind courtier, who understood the ways of Rokugan well enough not to offend his dishonest counterparts, contrary to some of his comrades.

After his gempuku and several years in court, he revealed himself to be a great teacher as well as a bright student, using the Unicorn way of learning, by discovering and experimenting rather than theory. He quickly became one of the most trusted sensei of the Ide school.

So trusted and famed actually that he was chosen by Utaku-sensei as tutor for her children and advisor for her court, an honor which he accepted with great humility.

Right now, at least in my campaign, he lives in Lion territory, because Utaku-sensei's youngest twins were sent as hostage and Akodo-sensei accepted that he would keep watching over them, since the Unicorn daimyo only trusts him to take good care of them in this unfamiliar land.

The twins are Aiko and Asako, both 12 years old and both students in the Akodo bushi school.

>What class do you like to play more ? Shugenja, bushi or courtier ? Why ?

Generally bushi But my favorite "class" are the Dragon Investigators by far

I would like to hold your hand tenderly and gaze at your eyes for hours right now

2lewd, Horiuchi-san.

Been a on-and-off GM for around 25 years now.

My L5R GURPS adaptation is done and playtested extensively.

We're doing rather long a 6month+ long adventure with lots of growth potential, so you need to be able to play at least twice a month.

Your actions and deeds will be lingering for all upcoming L5R GURPS games in the future as is always the case.

Also; as always, Depends on the people who apply it can get pretty grimdark and we let ANYTHING go as long as YOU roleplay it with a straight face.

Not for the squeamish, not for the unending meme brodudes that giggle into the microphone if a breast is exposed to garner information or assassination.

Our youngest are 17, oldest around 45 with plenty in the middle.

Hit me up on the usual channels to get your application that will help you out with the clans/backgrounds in case your new to L5R.

>playing RPGs online

jesus fuck there are some pathetic people on this subreddit.

I'm glad you're running something online for mature people. Some of my friends can't find people to play with near them and it's great for them to find someone like you.

I play mostly IRL and I don't have the time right now to invest time in another table, but I support the idea, keep going mate.

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>Hit me up on the usual channels
How full of yourself can you get?

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Which edition is best? 4th?

Usually seems people agree that it goes 4th, 1st, 3rd, 2nd, from best to worst. Some like 3rd for extreme crunch, though.

It generally goes 4 ≥ 1 > 3 >2 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>d20

4 is "best" but 1 and 3 have up points, namely being a good sort of simple and having a lot of fun crunch, respectively. 2 fucked up the math pretty badly and everything just feels low powered and bleh. It's also co-developed with the oriental adventures abomination, which drags it down further.

Guys, I really want to convince my group to try L5R but I'm really bad at convincing and afraid I'll make it look like it's a weebshit-anime: the system.

So, a little help? What are the selling points of L5R? What it's good for?

It's pretty much only good for playing itself. And by that, I mean it's the RPG for a card game. It not historically accurate. It's a fantasy setting first and foremost. Not that historical inaccuracy is really a problem for RPGs, but a lot of people seem to get upset when they realize that it's not the system you use to play in realistic japanland.

That's kinda the opposite of what I asked for. I asked for highlights of the game, not "it's bad for anything other than its own setting".

No, you asked what's the selling point of it, And that's it. It lets you play an RPG in Rokugan. It's a pretty good system for that, but it's really not good for adapting outside of that.

It's got pretty high lethality. A few good hits can take a combatant out of the fight, and PCs are no exception.

In 4th edition, nothing is too blatantly overpowered or underpowered as long as you stay within the same social groupings (Minor clan school techniques aren't as good as great clans, and ronin aren't as good as minor clans, and the same holds true socially, politically, and militarily. On the other hand, techniques are not the be all, end all of what a character can do and someone who is actually more skilled will usually win even if the other guy has a relevant technique). Anyone playing below the average of their group might be a little underpowered, but it's not too big a deal.

There's not really a hard system for social combat, which can be seen as a failure of the overall system. Some people prefer pure roleplaying with minimal dice rolling for such things, so that's down to personal preference.

There's some katana wank, but you can kill or incapacitate someone with pretty much anything, and there is significant in-setting supernatural support for such wank.

New groups have to find their comfort zone for social strictness. In-setting, samurai are expected to follow a lot of rules, and breaking too many of them at once can seriously endanger someone. Or at least make it so nobody important pays attention to them. Some groups assume that the characters are being properly polite unless they explicitly say they aren't or can't, others roleplay the little details too.

Don't come into it expecting to get something historically accurate or too close to samurai movies. I know the book lists them as inspirations, but the system just doesn't fall into line with them much. Pitch it as a Japanese inspired fantasy game.

She's got the facial expression and body language of somebody who's just posing infront of a mirror.

In a way that makes the pic better.

Thanks. I was expecting something wuxia AF, with all sorts of oriental fairytales, and not really anime-ish.

Well, it's not really anime-ish, but it's definitely also not wuxia. Nobody flies around with glowing neon hair, slicing through their enemies with a single swing of their grorious nippon katana that was folded one billion times.

Does anyone have any ideas for a campaign based on military conquest in L5R? I'mean GMing my first game son and I've hit a wall. Player said they would like to play one based on conquest but I've never written for something like this before. All my ideas don't feel that great.

Help is greatly appreciated.

Check the spaltbook for it.

Sometimes there are very difficult targets when military action is being taken in Rokugan. Shrines, temples, and Imperial holdings really can't be attacked, but they often can be entered by one's enemies and aren't always neutral. This leaves room for PCs to act as troubleshooters and can add some social conflict to an otherwise purely military campaign.

>Don't come into it expecting to get something historically accurate or too close to samurai movies. I know the book lists them as inspirations, but the system just doesn't fall into line with them much.
That's more on those anons than the system. They've had their shitfits in /l5rg/ over not being able to recreate Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, etc, but it's nowhere near as hard as they make out.

OTOH, kiho/spell users can fly around, hair changing to white is considered a sign of power in shugenja, the average samurai has a kind of shroedinger's katana where it's both mass smithed shit and unbreakable compared to RL katana. I'll give that you almost never have the opportunity to swing through multiple opponents at once - barring a handful of techniques. (some of which are NPC only)

>Not if it's her own sister who uncovered the plot and who pleaded for Madoka to come with her
You may get the option of seppuku.
The immediate family of anyone plotting blasphemous treason are all gonna die. They may be allowed to take their own lives though.

>Proof that cannot be questioned.
You mean the testimony of someone with higher status or victory in a duel to the death.

They're just salty because clan samurai aren't all inbred weaklings. Also salty because their dirty, dignity and formal training free hobo isn't magically better than professional warriors trained from childhood to be consumate killers.

>the average samurai has a kind of shroedinger's katana where it's both mass smithed shit and unbreakable compared to RL katana
Nah, many samurai have a katana that's been around long enough to have fully awakened, and the divine selection of the katana infuses even the shittiest ones with stronger spirits than most weapons. Also, they can break, except for truly awakened ones (Basically true magic weapons) and specific sacred weapons that are only made in one specific holy forge. The shitty, cheap ones made for the gempukku of ji-samurai whose grandparents didn't have enough spare katanas lying around probably break regularly.

I shouldn't post while tired.
But what I mean to say is that the completely average katana can break, but probably not as easily as a real one due to the endorsement of literal gods, and special katana are, well, special and magical and magical things almost never break easily in fantasy.

It is important to point out that things wanked in Rokugan usually have blatant and well-known divine approval. They use katana because their gods used katana. They use a convoluted social etiquette because the gods used it. They wear kimono and complicated laminar armor because the gods used it. They avoid things considered to be spiritually unclean because those things objectively *are* unclean and stain the soul.

Honestly, I doubt a ji-samurai's katana would be shitty. It would shame to clan to have a retainer with a shitty sword.
Rokugani Katana are all supposed to be excellent (bordering on !magical due to the pervasiveness of mystical animism in the setting). Gunto shit just isn't made. At least, not in Katana shape. The Rokugani fap to their special swords too much for that.
Other weapons may be of low quality. Smith's who don't work for a clan may turn out cheap katana shaped pieces of metal with stats like a parang. Ronin may have brittle, shoddily made, or poorly maintained katana. But for real clan samurai, the Katana may be the best item they own.

>Nah, many samurai have a katana that's been around long enough to have fully awakened
They really do not. Most nemuranai katana are in the hands of daimyo and samurai of major importance. If they're not, then someone's lord is expecting a gift very soon / bound to get jealous, or it's of such little power that there's nothing noteworthy about it.

L5R isn't big on giving PCs magic items.

>they can break
They don't, though. There are weapons that can break in combat, and katana are not that.

>Most nemuranai katana are in the hands of daimyo and samurai of major importance
There are literally an uncountable number of nemuranai in the setting, and the vast majority became that way because of long term use. Katanas are almost always used long term and passed down.
>or it's of such little power that there's nothing noteworthy about it.
This is the case for the vast majority of nemuranai, but "doesn't break easily" is the one constant that they all share.

>L5R isn't big on giving PCs magic items.
You can get a basic nemuranai with the Inheritance advantage.

>They don't, though. There are weapons that can break in combat, and katana are not that.
They don't break under the "If it does more than X damage, it can break" rule, but there are specific ones that actually say they can't break easily/at all, which means normal ones can. Kaiu Blades and nemuranai being the two big examples.

>There are literally an uncountable number of nemuranai in the setting
No.
>It is said that all things within the Celestial Wheel possess a soul, even if that soul is not always “awake.” The kami within any object exist unaware of the world around them until something draws them out: either a forceful act of creation, or proximity to wondrous persons or events.
There's the difference. Everything contains a slumbering kami. Some are woken purposefully by powerful shugenja. Very few are given the perfect circumstances to awaken spontaneously.

>You can get a basic nemuranai with the Inheritance advantage.
Nope. You can get a well crafted and treasured heirloom through the default Inheritance advantage. Anything else is grounds for asking your GM for something more expensive.

> there are specific ones that actually say they can't break easily/at all, which means normal ones can
Yes. But unless you specifically go out of your way to attempt snapping someone's katana rather than finishing the fight ... they. don't.

Though Rokugan is often perceived to be a setting lacking in magic items, this perception is largely due to the nature of nemuranai. Superstition is a powerful force, and the kami are very reactive to human emotion. Most Rokugani carry at least one "lucky" item to ward off evil spirits, prevent disease, increase battlefield prowess, or provide some similar blessing. If carried long enough and believed in fervently, the spirit living within an item may be awakened by the attention... These nemuranai are such an ingrained part of everyday life that Rokugani pay them little mind.
-Magic of Rokugan, 57-58

Rokugan contains innumerable nemuranai, legendary items whose kami have awakened. Some of these were awakened by the visionary artisans who created them, while others were brought to awareness by the famous samurai who wielded them.
-Book of Earth, 136

Rokugan contains many nemuranai, legendary items whose kami have been awakened by the work of brilliant artisans or by long usage in the hands of great samurai.
-Book of Air, 121

There are countless nemuranai (awakened artifacts) associated with the Element of Fire, but swords are among the most famous and prominent of them.
-Book of Fire, 125

All three of the non-water, non-void elemental books talk about "common, minor nemuranai". Void says that there are no common void nemuranai and Water doesn't mention them at all either way. These are not the only references to large numbers of nemuranai existing. I agree that most of them aren't worth writing home about, but to say that they are actually rare is misrepresenting it badly.

And I know that there's a clarification somewhere that says that the bonus from Inheritance can either be from pure craftsmanship or from minor nemuranai status, I just can't find it at the moment.

So the main thrust of your argument comes from d20 edition? While it might be simpler to just say 'into the trash your opinion goes' ... I don't feel like it.

>Most Rokugani carry at least one "lucky" item to ward off evil spirits, prevent disease, increase battlefield prowess, or provide some similar blessing. If carried long enough and believed in fervently, the spirit living within an item may be awakened by the attention.
I don't count those as nemuranai - they're items that may possibly become nemuranai one day - given the presence of a great event or person(s) of the same level of brilliance and legend as ... well, the given example is Sun Tao. If you can match Sun Tao in brilliance, then you deserve to spontaneously create a nemuranai.

Of course ...
>The magic of spontaneously enchanted nemuranai is derived from strong kinship between item and owner. If such an item is stolen, it will cease to function. Thus, such items have very little value as treasure. Nemuranai generally do not mind being transferred if the new owner is alike in honour, family, clan, or demeanour, and the transfer was not involuntary.
Spontaneous nemuranai are items that someone of legend cherishes and keeps with them. Not great for expecting them to gift it away, a very poor target for theft, and questionable efficacy to wait til they die before appropriating the item - it may simply decide to stop being a nemuranai indefinitely.

Then there are created nemuranai. I'm only going to cover a portion of this.
>Shugenja never create nemuranai without good reason. Those who create frivolous magic items gravely insult the spirits they claim to serve. Shugenja regard the ability to create and awaken nemuranai with the same respect and reverence as the ability to create life. A shugenja would never create a magic item without good purpose, and would never allow a nemuranai to fall into undeserving hands.
These are never given lightly to another - serious shit.

Third person reading you both here

I've personally never used or owned a nemuranai (even if I read a lot about them in the books), mostly because the GM I've been playing with since I was 13 thinks they are
- Too rare to encounter on a regular basis
- When you stumble upon one it's usually your quest object so don't try to steal it or the Shusuro will have your skin

Basically they're reduced to MacGuffins of varying degrees of power.

And since I've been GMing L5R for less than a year now, I was asking myself what use you could have for them that isn't that ? I'm interested in the possibilities within a scenario or setting, not in the probability of it happening.

>Nobody flies around with glowing neon hair

Shugies kinda do.

>slicing through their enemies with a single swing of their grorious nippon katana that was folded one billion times

This is also supposed to be a big thing in Rokugan, but lacks mechanical backing.

>recreate Seven Samurai, Sanjuro, etc, but it's nowhere near as hard as they make out

Obviously you can recreate those pretty easily using the system, but then you won't play in the real Rokugan but go full-on Rokugan Your Way.

>but then you won't play in the real Rokugan but go full-on Rokugan Your Way
Sorry to hear you basically know nothing about L5R.

Forever GM here.

For day life managing I place fairly little, just enough to make sure my players understand what their characters go through on a regular basis. Other than establishing how they handle things and an occasional reminder, it only comes up when there is a problem they have to deal with.

On the very rare occasion I actually get to play... I think I like bushi the best, it seems to me to be the sort of "core experience".

>Sorry to hear you basically know nothing about L5R.

Why? It is not like you can have serious moral stories in a setting admittedly running on theatrics. Something will always cheapen the lesson, be it silly social conventions or nonsensical logical leaps the characters are supposed to take super-seriously. And once you try to get rid of all these negative elements, the setting simply stops being Rokugan.