Clan Ancestors

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Crab, Unexpected Allies, and Bearers of Jade (1st edition, now out of print)

Characters who take the primal Hida as an Ancestor gain a great benefit - and a great burden. Those who carry the soul of Hida within them gain an additional Void Point for each Crab who stands with them. Likewise, those Crabs who stand with him in combat gain an additional Void Point. However, the character also takes a Wound point each time one of his fellow Crabs is wounded.

Those with Hida Akemi as an Ancestor recieve two extra damage dice to roll against any opponent more than twice their weight, and a +2 to their Initiative if fighting in an enclosed space such as a corridor, privy, or bath-house.

Unlike most Ancestors, Atarashi is not yet dead, but his descendants remain tied to his spirit, and bear his curse. Those with Hida Atarashi as an Ancestor are doomed to eventually go over to Fu Leng. They may fight it for years, and do a lot of good in the world first, but eventually, no matter how they try to get around it, they will join the forces of the Shadowlands.

Those who choose Banuken as an Ancestor are able to adapt their own strengths to complement the strengths of others. When they fight side by side with another, they may strike simultaneously with their ally, regardless of initiative rolls, and vice versa. The ally must be determined before initiative rolls are made.

Characters who take Tadaka as an Ancestor feel his selfless sacrifice in their veins. They may lend Wound points to other Crab characters. They may also lend Wound points to non-Crab personalities, but this costs them a Void Point.

The character must be touched in order to "pass on the spirit of the Crab." He may transfer as many Wound points as he wishes, but he loses any that he transfers - mark them off as you would any normal injury.

Those who choose Hiruma as an Ancestor can re-roll any roll by expending a Void Point. This may only be done a number of times per day equal to the character's Void Rank.

Kazuma's descendants may purchase Ratling Allies for half cost and receive a Free Raise on any social rolls with Nezumi.

Characters who choose Kaiu as an Ancestor gain a number of Free Raises equal to their Void when using any Craft skill.

Characters who choose Gineza as an Ancestor may sacrifice their own Wound points to inflict additional Wound points to creatures and characters with the Shadowlands Taint. Before damage is rolled, the character may sacrifice a number of Wounds less than or equal to his Earth. The target creature or character takes at least as many Wounds as were sacrificed by the character.

Those who take Kuni as an Ancestor always roll twice when determining if they gain the Shadowlands Taint, and use the higher roll.

Characters who choose Osaku as an Ancestor may spend a Void Point to gain a number of Free Raises equal to their School Rank when casting a spell.

Those with Fumoki as an Ancestor have a deep affinity for the sea and her secrets. They can predict the weather within a 24-hour period with perfect accuracy. Also, Fumoki's sea legs grant them an uncanny sense of balance; they gain a free raise to any rolls involving agility.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Crane and Bearers of Jade (1st edition, now out of print)

Those who choose Yajinden as an Ancestor have a remarkable affinity with kami, and get a Free Raise any time that they attempt to create a fetish or magic item. However, the call of the darker side of nature is in their blood, and TN for them to be seduced is lowered by 10.

A character with this Ancestor gains a Major Ally in the Crab house, and their TN to be hit is increased by 3 for each Wound Rank they take. For example, a character with Masashigi as their Ancestor would have a +6 to their TN to be hit if they were at the -2 Wound Rank.

Characters with Daidoji Yohko as an Ancestor inherit her devotion, and cannot be affected by Fear as long as they are aiding someone else. However, they can never knowingly abandon someone who needs their help. This includes championing courtiers in duels (whether or not you agree with them), always being the last to leave a battlefield of retreating men, and pursuing friends lost to the Shadowlands.

Characters who choose Lady Doji as an Ancestor are considered to have a Rank of 1 in all High Skills. If the character wishes to advance in a skill, they must pay for Rank 1 before continuing on to Rank 2.

A character which chooses Hotei as an Ancestor gains a minor insanity which may surface periodically during their life. This insanity should be somewhat debilitating, and triggered by some outside influence: a spouse's death, going into battle, being called a coward, seeing a chicken's head. It is up to the GM's twisted imagination to decide exactly what the insanity is and what triggers it (as well as how often), but it should be appropriate to the character. Descendants of Doji Hotei may spend a Void Point in combat to ignore all wounds for one round. The player must declare before the round begins if he wishes to use this ability.

When making a roll using Persuasion, Manipulation, or Etiquette skills, descendants of Taehime may add and keep an additional number of dice equal to their Void.

However, a descendant of Taehime may never reveal all they know about any topic, lest their Ancestor strike them with sudden ill fortune for their wagging tongue.

The descendant of Kakita may choose to re-roll any failed roll a number of times per day equal to their Void, in or out of combat, including an iaijutsu strike. In place of the initial skill used for this reroll, the character should substitute their Iaijutsu skill level. Further, if the descendant of Kakita is defending the Emperor, the Doji noble family, or a member of the Hantei house, they have a +10 to their TN to be hit in any combat, including iaijutsu duels.

The blood of Kakita has its drawbacks, however, as Kakita was not loved by all. The enemies he made in the Matsu house are well-known, and even today the Matsu family still seeks to avenge the dishonor to their ancestress. To avenge her is to destroy the original, direct line of Kakita himself, wiping out the last of the taint which dishonored the Mother of their line. Relations with any Lion will be difficult at best, and children of the Matsu house will seek the character out in order to kill him and avenge their ancestor. The Kakita descendant's battle prowess will be tested, their honor challenged, and they will never find solace in the house of the Lion. In effect, the entire Clan hates them, although only the Matsu will act without provocation.

Those who choose Rensei as their Ancestor may not have the damage they deliver reduced, avoided, or ignored in any fashion. Abilities which would allow a character to dodge or parry the blow are still effective; only those abilities which negate damage after it has been dealt are ineffective.

Characters descended from Wayozu may, once per day, spend 2 Void Points and attempt to perform any single first-rank maya from any of the Artisan specialties. If the character has no skill in the art needed for that specialty, they must roll dice equal to their Fire Ring, keeping only one die. If the character has the skill needed, they may roll their Skill+Fire, keeping a number of dice equal to their skill. Unless otherwise specified, all mayas last a number of hours equal to the School Rank of their user.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Dragon and Unexpected Allies (1st edition, now out of print)

Shugenja who choose Agasha as an Ancestor receive on Free Raise for casting any spell.

Those who purchase Kitsuki as an Ancestor may spend a Void point to entirely negate the effects of poison.

When characters who choose Agasha Nodotai as an Ancestor are engaged in mass combat, they may move their position on the chart by one position.

Characters who take purchase Mirumoto as an Ancestor know and can use the Mirumoto Technique just above their current Rank. For instance, a Rank 1 Mirumoto may use the Rank 2 Mirumoto School Technique. Only bushi from the Mirumoto family may take Mirumoto as an Ancestor.

Characters who gain Kaijuko as an Ancestor are both blessed and cursed. They will never marry (even if they try), but gain an additional die to roll and keep whenever they are making Courtier or Seduction rolls.

Descendants of Mirumoto Takeda understand his philosophy of self-sacrifice, always ready for a "single, defining moment." During combat, they may elect to give up one of their attacks per round to increase their TN to be hit by 5. When using Full Defense, they receive an additional 10 to their TN to be hit. This is in addition to other modifiers, such as armor, daisho technique, or use of Full Defense.

Characters who have Tokeru as an Ancestor never need to make Honor rolls when duty to their lord is in question. Seducing them away from their sworn duty is impossible. The blood of Tokeru forbids it.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Lion, Bearers of Jade, and Unexpected Allies (1st edition, now out of print)

Lions who take Akodo as an Ancestor gain his almost intuitive knowledge of battle and tactics. When rolling on the battle chart, they may roll 2 dice and keep the one that they prefer. Also, their Battle skill is always considered to be one Rank higher than it actually is (yes, this means they can have a Battle of 6). Finally, the Leadership advantage costs 1 point less for Akodo's descendants.

If Godaigo is your Ancestor, then your Elemental Rings and Glory Ranks can never be higher than your Honor. If your Honor ever drops below the level of a Ring or Glory Rank, then the Ring or Glory is considered equal to your current Honor Rank until your Honor raises back above the Ring or Glory level.

The benefits of taking this brave ancestor are twofold. The PC adds a die of damage (rolled and kept) when attacking a larger character who has a lower Honor Rank. Also, when confronted by a creature with a Fear Rating, the TN for the PC's Willpower roll is reduced by 10.

Lions who take Shinju as an Ancestor always receive a Heroic Opportunity on the Battle Table.

Lions who take Ikoma as an Ancestor inherit the old man's keen intuition and understanding of the patterns of life. Once a game session, they may ask the GM a single yes-or-no question about their current situation in the game. The GM must answer honestly.

Lions who take Kitsu as an Ancestor may Sense spirits as a Half-Blooded Kitsu does.

Descendants of Ichiosu automatically suffer from the Haunted disadvantage, for Ichiosu keeps track of all his grandchildren for Fu Leng. He whispers to them of the blindness of Rokugan's beliefs, saying the kharmic wheel is a lie and that death only leads to a prison mediocrity; that the way to rise above your station is to leap off the bridge and gain immortality as a servant of the Dark One. This constant demonic encouragement is the equivalent of a Compulsion : Maho disadvantage. The character must spend one void point per day to resist the temptation or seek out scrolls of maho "for just a little peek."

Ichiosu also interferes with other samurai's kharmic ancestors. No one with an Ancestor with an absolute point value less than 5 gains the benefit of their spirit when within 50 feet of Ichiosu's descendants.

Once per day, someone with Hitomi as an Ancestor may spend a Void Point to reroll a to-hit or damage roll, taking whichever total the player prefers. A character with Matsu Hitomi as an Ancestor may not for any reason attack a person to whom they have a strong personal tie.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Phoenix and Bearers of Jade (1st edition, now out of print)

Those who choose Asako as an Ancestor gain her luck with companions, in the form of a 6 point True Friend advantage. The player may design another character to fill this role, as the GM desires. They also inherit her son's wrathful nature, however, which results in the Brash disadvantage. Should the PC ever be betrayed by anyone, this becomes the Driven disadvantage, and he will be devoted to their downfall thereafter.

The samurai with Hanasaku as an Ancestor are cursed with the unquenchable desire to know what everything is. Anything undiscovered or unknown to the Asako is a new frontier to be tested. A Willpower roll against the TN of 20 is necessary to resist the allure of trying anything new. However, Hanasaku's knowledge of the bizarre gives the samurai an automatic Rank for all rolls involving Medicine, Poison, Herbalism, and all Lore rolls involving strange events and information. Buying Rank one in any skill still requires the expenditure of one CP.

Those with Ingen as an Ancestor are always considered to have 20% extra Insight for purposes of School Rank, and are considered to be 1 School Rank higher for all purposes when using Riddles.

Those choosing Akuma as an Ancestor gain Free Raises equal to their Void when combating Oni, but are also born only into the lowest social climates (acquiring a 3 point Social Disadvantage without cost) as a result of his fall.

Anyone taking Ijime as an Ancestor is constantly haunted by images of a dark imaginary word beyond the realm of what Rokugani consider normal. This unbalancing "euphoria" may unhinge a samurai and cause them distress in formal settings. All contested rolls have an increased TN of 5, and all social rolls require a TN increase of 10. Dueling is done as if the Void of the samurai is one lower, and all meditation attempts are at a TN of 40! However, they are able to glean insight into perplexing situations. The samurai receives a one die bonus to all skills involving puzzles, investigations, and other "unsolvables."

Anyone taking Takao as Ancestor may roll one extra die when casting fire spells, but is assumed to have the Brash disadvantage in addition to all other disadvantages. If the samurai already has the Brash disadvantage, then all Honor tests have a TN of 35.

Only a shugenja character of the Lion or the Phoenix may purchase this Ancestor. The shugenja may choose an Element, and they are considered to be well-loved by the kami of that Element. Attempts to Commune, Summon, or Sense spirits of that Element will be met with friendship, and the character may roll and keep one extra die when casting spells of that Element.

Any shugenja that takes Kaeteru as their Ancestor is always considered to have a Void two higher than it is, and may always add two additional dice to their meditation score when meditating or helping others to meditate. If the Honor of the shugenja is ever reduced to 1 or less, Kaeteru will disappear forever and never return.

Only a bushi may take Kaigen as an Ancestor, for the warrior spirit which lives on in his descendants will accept no less. Those who do take the One Man Alone (his title in the ancestral records) are proud of their forefather's death, and ready to emulate it, if ever the time should come.

Because Kaigen was able to perform his feat through his knowledge of spellcraft, descendants of Kaigen are allowed to spend one year within the halls of the Isawa Academy, learning much about spells, magic, and the kami.

This knowledge gives the bushi a greater aptitude for using spells in battle, understanding the destructive potential of shugenja, and using the elemental spirit to supplement his own strength in combat. If a shugenja within 10 feet spends a Void Point, the descendant of Kaigen may gain an extra action, even if they have already performed their only action for the round. This additional action may not be an attack, but may be used to perform any other ability or maneuver.

Though no one knows how Sakazu made his end, his descendants have inherited his confidence in their abilities to prevail even when naked, alone, and emptied of thought. Characters with Sakazu as an Ancestor roll an additional number of dice equal to their Void for all bare-handed attacks.

Those who take Shiba Toriiko as an Ancestor are always eligible for the Kharma rule should they die trying to prevent strife.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Scorpion and Bearers of Jade (1st edition, now out of print)

Scorpions who take Bayushi as their Ancestor have both a blessing and a curse. They gain a kind of kharmic tie with one other character (NPC or otherwise) that allows the two to use each other's Void Points at will. If one of the characters dies, however, the other character may never use Void Points again.

Players who take Akoru as an ancestor find themselves forgettable and easily overlooked. People don't think about them, and tend to overlook them, even when they're present. No reliable description of the character is available unless they do something to attract substantial attention. The character may roll and keep one extra die in all Stealth-based skill checks, but may never take the Ally Advantage, or have a Glory Rank of higher than 1.

Scorpions who take Tangen as an Ancestor automatically have the Disadvantage Can't Lie. However, this character always needs 10 less Insight to gain his next School Rank.

Samurai who take Tesaguri as an Ancestor are always paid 50% more gold for any service they perform. They also receive finer gifts than they deserve. On the other hand, they can't keep a secret. If they ever learn a secret, they will spill it the first chance they get.

Scorpions who take Furuyari as an Ancestor gain a Free Raise whenever using the skills Acting, Oratory/Rhetoric, and Disguise. The Advantage Voice costs 1 point rather than 2 points if a character has Furuyari as an Ancestor.

Itode may be taken as an ancestor by Crab characters as well as Scorpion ones.

Though he had no children, Shosuro Itode remains an ancestor to two families, both of which share his determination and persistence in the face of almost certain failure. They recieve a free Raise to all Willpower rolls. However, his decision to leave his blood relatives for his adopted ones still has repercussions today, and characters of either clan with this ancestor receive a +5 TN penalty for all social rolls to gain favor with the Scorpion.

Any character who is a magistrate may choose Saibankan as an Ancestor, but Scorpions may take him for 1 point less. Characters who take him as an Ancestor gain a number of Free Raises per day equal to their School Rank, which may be used only for the following skills: Investigation, Law, Heraldry, and History.

Those who take Yogo as an Ancestor have an innate skill at maho. They gain a number of Free Raises equal to their School Rank when using Lore: Maho-Tsukai. On the other hand, they also gain an additional number of Shadowlands Points equal to their School Rank whenever they use maho.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Unicorn and Unexpected Allies (1st edition, now out of print)

Those who choose Ide as an Ancestor have a powerful ability: as long as they wear neither weapon nor armor, anyone attacking them must first make a contested roll. The attacker rolls their Willpower and the Unicorn rolls their Honor. If the attacker rolls higher, he may attack normally. If he fails, he cannot attack the Unicorn that round.

Once a day, characters with Iuchi as an Ancestor may use their Void in place of any other Ring when casting spells.

Characters with Atesoro as an Ancestor may dodge arrows and other projectiles. Characters who fire arrows (or other ranged attacks) at this character do so as if this character were at Full Defense, even if he is performing a Full Attack.

Those with Chai as an Ancestor can keep all the dice they roll for Horsemanship, and get a free Void Point to spend on each and every athletics feat they undertake.

Those of Sanjo's blood always hear his maniacal laugh whenever Shadowlands creatures are near. While this acts as an early warning system (it alerts the character even if he can't see the creatures), it is also demoralizing: the character must always drop his highest die on every die roll while fighting Shadowlands creatures. The character can avoid this penalty for one day if he succeeds in passing an Honor test at TN 10.

Those with a direct tie to Moto Soro can completely ignore their wounds for a number of rounds each day equal to their Void. These rounds need not be sequential.

Characters who take Otaku as an Ancestor automatically gain the Voice advantage. Also, their words are understandable by all mammalian nonhuman creatures. This does not mean that the creatures will comprehend the meaning, nor does it mean that the creatures will obey or respond... but at least the words will be understood.

Descendants of Otaku Kunami are superb handlers of horses, the envy of all Unicorns. They have the ability to perform incredible tricks with ease. Battle Maidens of her line gain a Free Raise to their TN if performing tricks or stunts while riding. During normal activity, they cannot be unhorsed. Other Raises must be made normally.

A Unicorn who takes Shiko as an Ancestor is as stalwart as her noble ancestor. She may spend a Void Point to ignore Wound Ranks for a number of rounds equal to her School Rank.

Characters who choose Shinjo as an Ancestor get a Free Raise when trying to discern people's emotions or understand enigmas. That is, a character gets a Free Raise for trying to read someone's emotions, figure out what type of Shadowlands creature faces her, how this gaijin contraption works, or what the best way is to cook this curious plant.

Those with Shinjo Martera as an Ancestor never fail to do their duty as they see it. While they may not live up to the higher expectations of others, they never fail the standards they set for themselves internally. In game terms, such a character never fails an Honor roll, but he may never deliberately undertake an action that will result in a loss of honor, or he loses his connection to his Ancestor.

Reprinted w/out permission from Winter Court (1st edition, now out of print)

Descendants of Naganori inherit his extraordinary devotion. By spending a Void point, they may ignore wound penalties (including Down, Out, and Dead) for a number of hours equal to their Honor. This ability does not apply to attack rolls, only Full Defense, skill rolls, and movement. If the character's Dead level is depleted, the character still dies.

Characters with Seppun as an Ancestor can draw on her near-fanatic desire to protect the line of Heaven, even after her death. They also have her ability to fight with honor against the foulest foes. Whenever the character leads troops to defend the Emperor, the opposing (human) general cannot use more Battle skill than he has Honor.

Characters touched by Murayasu's spirit possess his remarkable calmness, both in combat and everyday life. The character's TN to hit anyone who has declared an attack on him that round (including duels) is reduced by 5. The character also declares his action last, regardless of his initiative roll (actions still resolve in the order rolled). This balanced demeanor has a price, however. The character never gains more than one additional die to roll when making a Full Attack.

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Minor Clans and Way of the Wolf (1st edition, now out of print)

Tortoise who choose Agasha Kasuga as one of the Ancestors gain an understanding of the goodness within all men, regardless of their caste, and are drven by his fire to see humanity in perfect and equal balance. They gain one kept die for all rolls using social skills with heimin and hinin.

A descendant of Chiroru can draw upon his steadfast loyalty, forming a special bond with those that fight by his side. Such a character may name a number of his friends and allies equal to his Honor as "brothers" or "sisters." Whenever one of these "siblings" is in danger, the character is immediately aware. The Ancestor does not prove the location, distance, or the nature of the danger, only the identity of the brother or sister who is threatened. If the brother or sister is not aware of the danger, the Ancestor does not function (it's not precognition). Chiroru's benefits fade if the character ever swears fealty to a clan.

A Sparrow with the blood of Suzume is very clever in conversation, rolling an extra die when using Lore, Oratory or Conversation skills. However, their words often carry more power than is intended. Whenever the character speaks in large public groups, the GM secretly rolls one die. If the result is a 1 or a 10, the characters remarks will be interpreted in a way directly opposite to their intent (for example, a witty remark might lead to your expulsion from your clan). To make matters worse, at least half of the listeners will usually find the unintended meaning of the character's words extraordinarily brilliant.

A descendant of Gusai can never be completely stripped of weapons, unless they choose to be. No matter who well searched, unless they are completely naked, the Mantis will always be able to conceal some weapon (tanto or smaller). They may also spend a Void point to conceal a single other item, so long as it could be carried in the palm of the Mantis's hand.

All descendats of Gusai automatically have the disadvantage Brash, for no points.

Falcons who have Hayabusa as an Ancestor gain the ability to roll (but not keep) an additional die for rolls involving Awareness.

Hiro had many liasons, and left many children to carry on his name. Characters with a kharmic tie to the bandit lord roll and keep an extra die on all rolls to influence others by Intimidation and coercion. Descendents of Hiro automaticaly have their Honor reduced to zero. If their Honor ever rises above 1, the benefits of this Ancestor depart forever.

Once per day, someone with Fureheshu as an Ancestor may substitue his or her Strength for any attribute roll.

(Mantis) Descendants of Kaimetsu-uo inherit their ancestor's nasty disposition, and can be easily provoked to combat with insults. However, their will is indomitable. They gain one free Void point to spend on any tests involving Willpower, save those tests which would allow him to avoid combat.

Descendants of Miyuko must be shugenja. These individuals wield their illustrious ancestor's deep understanding of the Elements. All spell effects which depend upon the shugenja's rank (including Damage Ratings) operate as if the ronin's Rank was that of a Clan shugenja with equal insight.

Characters who choose Azami as their ancestor channel Lady Sun with ease and assurance. Once per session, they gain one Free Raise on any skill check involving either Agility or Reflexes.

Fox characters who purchase Osusuki and Akomachi as Ancestors are descended from the kits of their union, through human form. They automaticlaly have the unusual green eyes of the Kitsune family, and may spend one one Void point in any area of the world to gain the Way of the Land Advantage for the region they are in for the day only. Further, they gain one free die (rolled and kept) for any action taken when they are in the forest of Kitsune Mori. However, the character must take at least one point of Kitsune Taboos.

Those who carry the blood of the first Usagi have an uncanny knack for puzzling out codes and detecting traps. They may roll and keep an extra die when attempting such activities.

Sadly, their curious nature also tends to get them into trouble. The character rolls and keeps one fewer die when attempting to use stealth to gain an advantage or spy on an opponent.

A character with a kharmic tie to Rezan is descended from one of the many poets who have written under this famous name. He may roll and keep a number of extra dice equal to his Void for all Poetry skill rolls.

Descendants of Sun Tao have a remarkable ability to adapt to their environment, learning from their mistakes almost instantaneously. After some time living with the wisdom of Sun Tao, mistakes no longer exist. After any failed skill roll, the character may spend one Void Point to add 10 to the result. If this new total would result in a success, then the roll becomes successful. Any Raises that were originally made are negated. This effect may only be used once per day. The results of this ability is always obvious. The character makes a mistake, but comes back instantly, making another maneuver or correction to negate the results. Often, the success seems to be nothing more than dumb luck. For example, an archer missing a moving target may make an improbable ricochet shot off of a nearby tree, striking his foe.

The founder of the Tonbo Shugenja School. An intuitive woman, all her descendants are blessed with a Free Raise for all actions based on Perception.