Optional Rules In Play

[Cearnach]

Here are the optional rules which we will or will not be using in this game:

* Characters should not exceed a Status of 5.0. A Status of 3.0 is equivalent to a Gunso in your Clan's military, a status of 4.0 is equivalent to a Clan magistrate or Revered Sensei, and a Status of 5.0 is equivalent to a Taisa, a City Governor, an Emerald Magistrate, or the Daimyo of a Vassal family. Important figures are sometimes found at Winter Courts, but recall that Social Position is expensive, and that your Status might not give you the social protection you think it does in this game. Please see Status and Influence in the Systems and Metasystems forum. [Link]

* The 5th century is very much in the way back times, and certain Families and Minor Clans will not have reached the configurations that one might expect. Please see the Campaign Almanac for more information. The Wasp, Monkey, Hare, Snake, Falcon, Bat, Dragonfly, Ox, and Spider clans do not exist. The Unicorn are currently abroad. The Mantis are a minor clan with the family name Gusai. The Gusai family bonus is +1 Stamina.

* One cannot play a Bloodspeaker in this game, as Iuchiban has not gotten up to his shenanigans as yet. One could, if one chose, play an unaffiliated maho-tsukai. They would need to take the Dark Secret (maho-tsukai) disadvantage. One could also play a Chuda, taking the Dark Secret (Chuda) disadvantage. However, given the current state of the Chuda, it is vanishingly unlikely that they would be so foolish as to congregate at Winter Court, so only 1 Chuda will be permitted during this game.

* We will not be using Ancestors in this game.

* We will not be using Honor Rolls in this game.

* We will not be using Heritage Tables in this game.

* We will not be using the Crafting Rules in this game.

* Monks will be allowed.

* Kata will be allowed.

* Kiho will be allowed. Shugenja and Ninja may both learn kiho.

* Shadowlands Powers and Maho will be allowed. We will be using the rules for Balanced Maho, which limits characters to learning maho spells whose Mastery Level does not exceed their current Insight Rank, taking any affinities into account as normal. Any Shadowlands Powers or mutations you may receive at character creation or through the course of the game will be awarded to you by the gm team.


Background Considerations

If you wish to form connections to another PC before the game begins, please keep in mind that real life events might force either yourself or the other person to drop. It is perfectly fine to make a character that is betrothed to another character, or who has exchanged letters to another, but please do not set up things in such a way that if your partner drops, your character will lose their motivation (and vice versa).