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Magic in the Diamond Empire is somewhat rarer than in Rokugan of the past. Shugenja and holy men are few and far between. Whether this is caused by an ebb in the power of the spirits, or simply by the modern world's diminished belief in their power, is a subject of much debate. Following are notes on each clan's modern views on magic and their relative numbers of shugenja. Crab: Technology is much more dependable. Besides, magic is better left up to the experts, like their allies the Phoenix. The Kuni Shugenja school has long since merged with the Isawa Shugenja school (same benefits as original Kuni Shugenja School). Crab wizards are extraordinarily rare, and for the most part there should not be more than one present per party. Crane: The most traditional of the shugenja. The Asahina call their clan's attention to simpler, purer times. The Asahina are quite frequently shugenja, but rarely venture into the modern world. They prefer the sanctity and peace of their temples. Dragon: The Agasha family was apparently destroyed along with the Hoshi, Togashi, Hitomi, and Mirumuto families. The few Kitsuki who become shugenjas receive their training at the schools of other clans, most frequently Unicorn. (Must purchase Different School advantage. May attend Iuchi School for free.) Lion: The Kitsu are still the clan shugenja, but few are capable of practicing magic. Many theorize that it is the Lion's confusion over their place in the new Celestial Order that weakens their shugenja's ties to the kami. Player character Kitsu are assumed to be those few who still manage to find strength in the spirit world. Phoenix: The Phoenix are still the Empire's most capable shugenja. They are also cunning scientists, and manage to combine magic with technology in ways that few can understand. If anything, there are a higher percentage of Phoenix shugenja than ever. With the sworn protection of the Crab, the Shiba family has begun to feel somewhat redundant and many Shiba have taken on the mantle of shugenja themselves. Scorpion: The greatest denouncers of magic. They often claim to the general populace of Rokugan that magic does not exist, that shugenja abilities are merely high tech trickery or unfortunate mutations left over as a result of the Shadow War (true histories of shugenja are rare and difficult for the average person to aquire). In truth, this is merely a war of misinformation. The Soshi and Yogo shugenja are as common as ever, and even more dangerous in their anonymity. Unicorn: The Iuchi Shugenja school has far fewer students these days, but still serves the Unicorn as well as it can. Iuchi have taken the Phoenix route of combining magic with technology, but do so mostly in areas of forensics and investigation. Iuchi shugenja are often paired with Kitsuki Detectives, using their magic to enhance the Kitsuki's already impressive investigative capabiliites. The spells in the basic rulebook still apply in the Diamond Empire, but a few new ones have been devised to take advantage of the options the modern world provides. ALL ELEMENT SPELL
Bond This is a rather simple utilitarian spell devised by the Agasha Tetsukai in order to speed the bonding process with a tetsukami item. A quick casting of this spell in the presence of the person to be bonded to the item will allow that person permanent usage of the item. For each Raise made during the casting, a tetsukami can actually be attuned to multiple users! All of these users will be considered the items "owner," though each owner can give away his ownership by passing the item to someone else of his own will (the other owners are unaffected by this.) This spell can also be used to allow someone with a kharmic tie to be considered an owner of the object as well, so long as the other member of the tie is present for the casting. Casting of a Bond spell (as opposed to just carrying the object until it decides you're the owner) raises the TN of a Change Ownership spell by 10. Note that some objects (such as the Ot-Nag) will never bond to an owner without this spell. AIR SPELLS
Spirit of Lightning This spell is heart a very specialized version of the commune spell, used to commune with the spirits of electricity. The spell was devised by Phoenix shugenja in ancient times, but was considered mostly useless since such spirits could never be persuaded to remain still long enough to communicate meaningfully with them. In modern times, it has become indispensible, as it can be used to communicate with electrical impulses in mechanical objects. The most obvious use of this is computers - if the right spirit can be found, it can direct the shugenja wherever he may need to go to find whatever information he seeks. (Note that this is not of much use to would-be hackers. Most spirits are loyal to the systems they inhabit.) It can also be used to ask a spirit what it has seen anywhere on the same electrical circuit. For example, a shugenja could dial the phone, cast the spell, and ask the spirit what it sees on the other end (even if no one picked up the phone). Of course, if the other end hangs up, the connection is broken. Electrical spirits are flighty, exciteable, and prone to exaggeration. Shugenja who are skilled in communicating with these odd and unpredictable spirits are highly sought after. EARTH Heart of the Machine
Base TN: 15 This spell creates a link between a living creature and an electrical device that they are in physical contact with, giving each the understanding of the other. As long as the two remain in contact, the target is endowed with all knowledge of how to operate the device, increasing his skill in using the device by one (even if the current skill level is zero). For every two raises the caster makes, the skill can be increased by an additional level. Note that this spell only functions on electrical devices (vehicles, computers, power tools) but not with simply mechanical objects (guns, swords, simple tools). Heart of Stone
Base TN: 20 This spell allows the character to channel the power of the earth through her own body to extreme degrees. The caster becomes of the earth itself, her body, clothing, and equipment becoming solid stone for the duration of the spell. The caster cannot move or speak while stone, and is very dimly aware of the world, due to the spell's level of concentration. On the plus side, her wound levels become equal to her EarthX4, and her TN to be hit becomes equal to her Earth+2X5 + Armor bonuses +5 per raise. (Reflex bonuses to TN are negated while stone.) Note that the character's appearance will generally resemble the most common stone in the immediate area, so the spell could be used as a disguise, in an emergency. WATER Daikoku's Milk
Base TN: 20 This spell is forbidden for all shugenja outside of the medical profession. It transforms one cubic centimeter of rainwater into a potent anaesthetic. When the entire dose is injected into the bloodstream, the target's circulatory and nervous system are numbed, producing the following effects: 1 Dose - Target rolls his Earth vs the caster's WaterX5. If he fails this roll, he feels no pain (no wound penalties) for one hour, but rolls one less dice for all actions (similar to opium use). 2 Doses - Target rolls his Earth vs the caster's WaterX5. If he fails this roll, he falls into a deep sleep within the next ten minutes and cannot be roused for an hour. 3 Doses - Target rolls his Earth vs the caster's WaterX5. If he fails this roll, his heart stops within minutes. If an individual uses Daikoku's milk three times in the same week, the TN to resist its effects is raised by ten. This effect persists until he stops using it for one month. Daikoku's milk is very addictive (see opium addiction rules in City of Lies boxed set), even after the first time it is injected. FIRE Triumphant Surge
Base TN: 15 When cast, this spell causes the shugenja to suddenly be surrounded by a brilliant flash of electricity. This surge is completely harmless to living beings, though it may be startling. It's true effect is upon electrical systems. Any electrical device within three feet of the shugenja is rendered inoperable for 1d6 minutes. More delicate devices like computers may be permanently damaged, with most of their files erased. Some devices, such as Crane Supercomputers are shielded from electrical surges, and the GM should assign a TN for the shugenja to roll against (Using his Fire) in order for this spell to work. This TN can be lowered by 5 for every raise made when casting the spell. MAHO Machinations of the Soul
Base TN: 25 By means of this spell, the caster causes a living being and a mechanical device to become one. This change is permanent, and it is not pretty. The device always replaces some portion of the subjects body (for instance, a gun becomes a hand, a motorcycle replaces the legs), and the flesh and metal twist and melt together where they meet. If the spell is cast upon an unwilling target, they may make an opposed roll of their Earth vs the caster's in order to cause the spell to fail. The caster may add five to his total in this opposed roll for every raise he makes casting the spell, and may add ten if the target is unconscious. After the subject and machine have been combined, the subject gains skill in using the machine at rank 3, or adds one to his rank if it is already 3 or 4. The machine is now considered to be alive and fully part of the subject. Any damage done to the machine is healed as if it was done to the subject, and the machine no longer requires fuel or ammunition. It now draws its sustenance directly from a living being and the dark magic that binds them. Note that when this spell is cast, the Taint bestowed by it is shared equally by both the caster and the target. Soul Twist
Base TN: Targets affected Trait X 5 Believed to be a twisted version of the spell Sympathetic Energies, Soul Twist exacts a much darker toll on its target. This spell feeds off the strengths of its victim, building the weaknesses of its caster. The target's highest trait is swapped with the caster's lowest trait for the duration. For example, if the target's best trait was an agility of 6, and the caster's worst trait was an awareness of 1, the target would have 1 agility and the caster would have 6 awareness for the spell's duration. With two raises, the effect can be intensified, causing the target to lose an additional point from his trait after it is switched, and allowing the caster to gain an additional point. If the target's trait is reduced to zero or less, he will become incapacitated for the duration due to the shock to his spirit. |
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