Kakita Artisan Acadamy: Kakita Artisans

Artisans do not have "techniques" per se, nor do they gain spells as a shugenja might. Artisans gain maya abilities, as defined below, for each rank they rise within their school. Characters from the Kakita dueling school do not gain any of the maya abilities outlined below, nor can they choose to take an artisan maya in place of their normal school rank.
When a maya calls for the Artisan's School Rank, they are asking for the overall School Rank of that character, rather than the character's ability with that art. An Artisan who has an insight of 201, and has mastered the maya Origami 1, Dance 1, and Ikebana 1 & 2 is still considered a School Rank 4 character.
When an Artisan begins at rank one, they must choose a specialization from the list below. At rank one, they will gain the first maya ability of that specialization. Thereafter, when the Artisan gains enough insight to rise another Rank, they may return to the Crane lands and choose another maya. If the Artisan chooses to continue in their specialization, they will gain the second maya ability. If they choose to begin another specialization, they may choose one of the other specializations and gain the first maya in that school. If an Artisan gains all three maya abilities of one specialization, they are considered to be a Master of that art.
In this way, a rank 5 Artisan will have 5 maya abilities, chosen from the ranks below. At no point may an Artisan have the second or third level ability within a specialization unless they have already achieved the earlier levels of that art. However, there is no constraint forcing an Artisan to Master in any art, or even to take more than one maya from any art. Thus, the five maya which are known by a 5th rank Artisan may be from five different arts, or any combination thereof. When an Artisan picks their first maya from a specialization, they receive a single free Skill Rank in the corresponding art. Thereafter, the Artisan must purchase further skills in this art normally.

The maya for acrobatics require no preparatory rounds, and cannot be "held."

A first rank acrobat has the ability to escape complex bonds through coordination and control of their joints and muscles. They can escape ropes, gags, or other restraints with a successful Agility + Acrobatics roll. The TN for the roll depends on the complexity of the restraints (anywhere between 10 and 30). Further, the acrobat has the additional ability to move through passages too small for typical human inhabitants, to slide through windows, past bars or other major impediments in a Houdini-like style. Such extreme activity is painful for the acrobat, as it requires dislocating joints or stretching muscles in dangerous ways. Its use delivers a single rank of Wounds each time the acrobat performs the maneuver. The acrobat may perform this maya an unlimited number of times per day.

When the acrobat reaches the second level of mastery, they have gained the swift reflexes and incredible dexterity needed to dodge missile combat, such as arrows or thrown weapons. When dodging missiles, the Acrobat adds his School Rank x 3 to his TN to be Hit. This bonus is only applied if the acrobat is aware of the incoming missiles. This maya requires no skill roll.

Rank three acrobats are among the most agile people in the Empire. Their movements are blindingly fast, and they have the ability to perceive threats in their peripheral vision. Because of this, an acrobat can instinctively move to correct their position or balance. If the acrobat chooses a Full Defense and selects a target to defend themselves against, they cannot be hit by any targeted weapons or spells from that individual. This maya requires a skill roll each round the character declares their Full Defense maneuver.

Dancing is an art which requires concentration and skill, but which can be performed with almost no preparatory work. Thus, an Artisan does not require any preparatory time to use a dance maya. However, dance maya cannot be "held."

Dancers, as performers, are often asked to use the martial skill of mizu-do in order to perform staged combat during a performance. Because of this, a dancer often has a better grasp of the martial art of mizu-do than the typical practicioner. The skills needed to perform accurate stage combat require hours of concentrated rehearsal, making every action a perfect harmony of body and mind. The rank one dancer gains one level of the mizu-do skill for free. A dancer gains a number of free raises equal to their School Rank anytime they use the mizu-do skill (for information on mizu-do, please refer to Way of the Crane, Appendix II).

At this rank, if the dancer makes a successful contested roll of their Agility + Dancing versus the viewer's Willpower, they have mesmerized the viewers. Someone who has been mesmerized can break free of the dance by winning the contested roll. A dancer must continue to make these contested roll. A dancer must continue to make these contested rolls with his audience every three minutes. Someone who has been mesmerized is not "frozen" nor ignorant of their surroundings. If attacked, they will respond. However, they will ignore and forget anything which occurs (save their memory of the dancer and his dance) and does not directly affect them. Therefore, if a dancer mesmerizes the daimyo's guards, someone could slip past them, steal something from them, (with a successful Agility check) or discuss something in their presence, all without the guards' knowledge. And the guards won't even remember they were there.

At this rank, the dancer has so sharpened their reflexes, body control and sense of timing that they are able to more effectivelly perform precise movements in a short period of time. When using the mizu-do skill, the dancer may make an additional defensive maneuver each round.

In general, ikebana maya cannot be "held," with the exception of their rank three ability, noted below.

At this rank, the ikebani can bring good fortune to those the artist favors. By spending ten minutes and making a successful Intelligence + Ikebana roll at a TN of 15, the artist can grant an individual (himself or another) an additional die to roll and keep for one task. The task to which this additional die is applied must be immeiately performed. No more than one die can be given in such a way to a single task.

A second rank ikebana artist can use the beauty of their arrangements to inspire confidence and remove doubt. With a successful Intelligence + Ikebana roll (TN 20), the Artisan can grant a single Free Raise to any individual they touch, for any one stated task which must be performed within the hour. It takes ten minutes for the artist to confer this benefit. This ability is not cumulative with itself, and an ikebana artist may not give more than one free raise to any individual in the span of less than an hour. However, this is cumulative with free raises from other sources, such as a shugenja's free spell raise based on their school.

A master of flower arranging has the ability to warp luck around himself, gathering fortune and changing the odds of probability. This ability has two possible applications: beneficial or detrimental, based on the ikebani's choice of luck or unluck. Either effect requires a successful skill roll (Intelligence + Ikebana at a TN of 25).
Once the ikebana Artisan has successfully performed their art (an act which requires five minutes of concentration), they have gained one reroll. This reroll may be used at any time, on any individual in the ikebana's sight, to force the reroll of a single action. Thus, the ikebani can choose to reroll a failed roll performed by himself or one of his companions, or he can force an opponent to reroll a successful action before it can take place.
An ikebana Artisan can "hold" this reroll for up to one full day after he has performed the initial arrangement.

Jesting does not require any preparation, but it also cannot be "held."

At rank 1, the Jester has become adept at manipulating the emotions of others. If the Jester converses with another character, he can leave that character feeling distracted or carefree, at the Jester's whim. Afterwards, all of the target character's social skill rolls (Tea Ceremony, Etiquette, etc) either add or subtract one die to their roll for a number of hours equal to the Jester's School Rank. A character may only be targeted with this once per hour.

The Jester can manipulate everyone else into jumping into a melee before he does. With his skill at taunting and understanding of basic human impulses, the Jester has gained the ability to start a fight. While this is not a difficult thing in many places of Rokugan, the Jester can do so without appearing to be at fault. Whether in or out of combat, the Jester can attempt to draw someone into direct combat - luring an archer from safe cover, taunting an opposing shugenja into rushing into combat, etc. The Jester must perform for two actions, after which the victim must roll their Intelligence against a TN of 15, or charge the nearest individual, whether friend of foe. If the Jester wishes to raise this TN, he must make a performance roll (Intelligence + Jester) at a TN of 20, plus raises for every 5 he wishes to add to their victim's TN.

Upon reaching Rank 3 in his school, the Jester has become skilled enough to pull an onlooker into his act. Anytime the Jester is making a public performance (at the Imperial Court, during a festival, etc), he may target someone in the audience. The character targeted is on the receiving end of the Jester's wit. If the Jester defeats his opponent in a contested Intelligence roll, the victim permanently loses a number of Honor points equal to the Jester's School Rank. The Jester may never target the same person twice in less than six months.
For more information on properly characterizing your Jester, please refer to the full description in Way of the Crane.

Because of the delicate and precise nature of this art, it cannot be "held." A musician's maya require one round of playing before their magical abilities activate, with the exception of the rank two maya as noted below.

While the musician plays, she creates a 10' area around herself which makes it more difficult for spells to be affective. All incoming or outgoing spells within 10' of the caster must add +10 the their Target Number. Raises by the Artisan can increase this penalty.

At this rank, the musician can summon one die of animals from her area to perform simple tasks. It requires a half hour of playing, singing and performance to summon the creatures. The animals have limited intellect, but can understand the Artisan's will through the music. These creatures are determined randomly by the Game Master, but all are of small size, such as squirrels, dogs, or hawks. The creatures are loyal to the caster, and the maya grants them the ability to understand simple commands and perform simple actions without supervision. These creatures will obey the will of the caster for one full day.

The final rank a musician can achieve confers the power to enchant listerens to such an extent that they will cease all activity and listen to the musician for as long as she chooses to play. Use of this power calls for a contested roll versus the listener's Willpower. If the roll is successful, the listener will cease activity and listen to the music, oblivious to all that occurs around them. If the listener is attacked, moved or roughly shaken, they are immediately freed of all further effect of the song, and cannot be targeted with this ability again for 24 hours. This ability is not targeted, and affects all listeners within earshot.

Using raises, the Artisan can increase the duration of their ability, doubling the time the ability would be active for each raise declared by the player. Use of any of the Noh/Kabuki maya requires ten minutes to perform, and these maya cannot be "held."

The Artisan has gained the ability to impersonate certain individuals, through study and observation. The target numbers for this impersonation skill are:
  Someone you've known for years: TN 15
  Someone you've known for months: TN 20
  Someone you've just met: TN 25
Through this ability, the Artisan's voice, mannerisms, and physical appearance are changed through the careful application of makeup and use of the acting skill. Certain physical attributes, such as extreme height or an extremely unusual voice, cannot be mimicked through this ability. The artisan needs a makeup kit and simple tools, such as appropriate garb or certification of their identity. (A samurai who is well known for his tattered saya, for example, might be questioned if he appeared without it.)

At this rank, the dramatist has captured the essence of the more fearsome characters depicted in the plays. Demons, nightmares, furious spirits from beyond the grave - all these archetypes common to the kabuki and Noh dramas have become second nature to the skilled artisan. With practice, they can use this ability to shape their visage into something more fearsome that any mask they use on stage. A number of times per day equal to their School Rank, the dramatist may attempt to cause a fear effect, centered on themselves, affecting all creatures in a 30' radius who do not make a Willpower roll against a TN of 20. Those affected will cease whatever they are doing and flee the area at top speed for a number of rounds equal to 2 x the Artisan's School Rank. The Artisan does not have to make an Artisan's Skill roll to perform this act, but if they wish to increase the Target Number or the radius, or exclude certain individuals from the effect, the dramatist may attempt to roll as per the Artisan's rules, making raises appropriate to their alterations. If this skill check fails, the entire use of the ability is wasted, as if used normally, but no effect is produced.

At this rank, the dramatist has gained the ability to physically alter their entire body, so that the dramatist can assume the form of animals. The forms which the actor chooses to become may not exceed the mass of a heavy war horse, and no items (including clothes or weapons) change with the Artisan.

Each use of a maya to create the effects below destroys the paper which is used in the composition.

The Artisan can create small, mobile animals. At this point, the creatures made by the artisan have no intelligence, and merely follow commands of the creator. Further, the animals are still formed from paper, and retain their original size and mass. This means that the Artisan could create a horse, but it would only be a three-inch high horse. A bird, however, would have the ability to fly, a spider to spin a web, or a dog to bark a (rather faint) warning when strangers approached. These creatures make reliable short-distance messengers, sentries and scouts, as they can verbally communicate with their creator in a limited fashion. The Artisan is not limited to "real" animals. Creations from the character's imagination are acceptable, as are animals from myth and legend. The items are under the direct mental control of their creator for as long as they are in the artist's sight. These animals last a number of minutes equal to the artisan's School Rank.

The artisan has increased her prowess, and has gained the ability to make their inanimate creations real for a short time - small boats, boxes or kimonos could be made for use. Regardless of the size of rice paper that the Artisan uses to activate her creations, the item becomes the appropriate size and correct (if mundane) material. Such items are always of average quality, and must be of no greater mass that a rowboat. The items still retain a strange, "paper-like" quality which distinguishes them from normal items; they cannot be mistaken for a "real" item of the same type, even under casual inspection. These items last a number of hours equal to the artisan's School Rank.

At the final rank, the Artisan has the ability to create actual animals, fully alive and formed of flesh and bone. The animal may be up to the size of a heavy war horse, and has no real intellect and no magical powers. Therefore, a Ki-Rin would look like a Ki-Rin, but be unable to fly, ingnite itself, or use spell-like abilities. A giant eagle, on the other hand, would be able to fly, because a bird's flight is not a magic power. It is completely under the command of its creator, and has the ability to communicate through barks, nods, or other animal actions. It is not intelligent, and cannot read or understand complex orders. As in her Rank 1 ability, the artisan is not limited to "real" animals - creations from the character's imagination are acceptable, as are animals from myth and legend. It is loyal to its creator, and will risk itself for their well-being. These animals last a number of hours equal to the artisan's School Rank.

A painter who does not spend the appropriate amount of time perfecting his technique may end up with some very disturbing results. Painting maya require at least fifteen minutes of prepation, but they can be "held." Any glyph which is "held" must be kept in a safe, dry place (spell scroll tubes work), and the GM must be informed which glyphs in particular have been made.

At this rank, the painter has the ability to create semi-permanent calligraphic glyphs which are powered by the essence of the word. The painter can use special inks and brushes to impart certain magical qualities to the character the Artisan creates. The glyphs will remain where they were painted until a number of people have seen them equal to the painter's School Rank. Some examples of appropriate calligraphic characters are given below, but players should be encouraged to create their own glyphs and effects.
Confusion: When the painter creates this glyph, he confers the essence of chaos and disorder into his calligraphic character. When someone looks at it, they must make an Intelligence roll against a TN of 15 or become confused for a number of turns equal to (6 - their Intelligence). A confused individual will alternately wander about, attack blindly, recite poetry or stand still. The GM will decide the appropriate reaction.
Protection: When this glyph is drawn, the painter must inscribe it upon the forehead of the individual to be protected. Once placed, it will remain for a number of days equal to the painter's School Rank, and add 5 to their TN to be hit. Further, it offers an additional day of resistance to the Shadowland taint for each School Rank of the painter. Only one such glyph may be placed upon any individual at a time.

When the Artisan achieves this amount of skill with his medium, he may create paintings of individuals with whom he is familiar. In order to do this, the painter must first create special implements, such as brushes made from the hair if the individual, or a canvas which is made of the person's favorite kimono. Such personalized tokens allow the magic to connect the painting to the target individual. Once the painting has been succcessfully completed (Agility + Painting roll at TN 25), The Artisan can use it to speak to the target over a great distance, by meditating with the work. Such a painting can take d10 days to create, and requires a great amount of dedication and devotion to the work. Raises to the Target Number can allow the Artisan to see through the eyes of the individual in the painting, or allow the picture to work even at extreme distances, such as into the Shadowlands.

The Master Painter has gained the ability to actually travel through his paintings. After he creates a work based on a place with which he is familiar, the Master can meditate on the painting and actually step through it to the place represented by the picture. The creation of a mural of this magnitude can take as long as several weeks, and requires an Intelligence + School Rank at a TN of 30. If the mural is successful, the Artisan can step through and appear on the other side. If unsuccessfull, the picture is ruined and work must begin again. Each time the painter attempts this feat, there is a 25% chance that the painting will be ruined. The Master Painter is the only one who can journey in this way.

Extemporaneuous poetry is one of the most loved art forms in the Emerald Empire, and courtiers delight in challenging each other to spontaneous poetic acrobatics. Thus, some poetry can be performed without preparation, while other, more complex works require as much as an hour to create.

At this rank, the poet has the ability to create a minor mirage based on his recitation. Descriptions of woods can create the image of a forest surronding the Artisan; a poem based on a lady's beauty can make her (temporarily) even more lovely. These illusions have no auditory components, and cannot create the illusion of a specific person. However, they could be used to camouflage a party of samurai as bushes, or to enhance a shugenja's spell effect, making it appear as if flames roared from the caster's hand. The maya is directed by the Artisan's mind at the time of its creation, and cannot be altered thereafter, exept by the use of another maya. Anyone attempting to disbelieve the illusion must roll their Willpower + Perception against a Target Number of 20.
This maya requires a preparation time from ten minutes to an hour, depending on the complexity of the mirage. Enhancing an already existing object (such as a lady's beauty) is a relatively simple task (ten minutes), while camouflaging a group of people as bushes is a radical change and might take an hour.

The second rank poet has the ability to send short messages, composed as a haiku or waka, which are received as whispers in the ear of the receiver. The receiver may then compose their own poem, in the same style, and whisper it back. If the receiver is in sight of the poet, this ability does not require a Skill roll, and may be done a number of times per day equal to the poet's School Rank. If the recipient is out of sight, the poet must make a Skill roll (Intelligence + Poetry) based on the distance between the two, and must also have some item which is close to the recipient. Typical skill rolls for distance are: TN of 15 for up to 1 mile, TN of 20 for up to 5 miles, and TN of 25 for up to 10 miles. A message can be sent and received across a great distance in this way once per day for each School Rank of the poet.
This maya requires no preparation.

The third rank poet has the ability to inspire great deeds through his recitation of poetic events and famous chants. Anyone who sits and listens (up to a maximum number of people equal to two times the poet's School Rank) for three rounds (the poet's preparation time) before going into combat will receive a +10 to all of their attack rolls, and a +10 to their TN to be hit for a number of rounds equal to two times the poet's School Rank.

Storytelling is not a static art. It requires time and creativity to perform, and therefore cannot be "held" as some other Artisan maya can. Storytelling requires at least ten minutes to perform - longer if the Storyteller is attempting a complex or difficult feat.

At this rank, the Storyteller has a great knowledge of items and ancient history. If the Storyteller studies an item for ten minutes, she has a chance of understanding its importance in history and any legendary attribute which the item may have. The Storyteller may know of the original owner of the item, or any reputed owners, as well. This ability allows her to identify the magical or reowned capabilities of the item, if any. The Storyteller must make Intelligence + School Rank roll against a TN of 20 to identify most notable items (Bloodswords, Ancestral Items) and their abilities, but more obscure timems will have higher Target Numbers. Note that a failed result may result in a misunderstanding, and the Storyteller may gain an inaccurate result.

At this rank, the Storyteller has the ability to cause such belief in their stories that they may actually come true. Whether the Storyteller reaches the deepest psychological point of the intended recipient, or whether the ability in some ways calls up spirits to do the Storyteller's bidding, is unclear. What isclear are the results. The Storyteller chooses a myth and recites it in such a way that the target sees a connection between himself and the character, and that myth will come true in their own life. This can have beneficial or detrimental effects which come to pass over a period of time determined by the GM and the nature ofthe story. For example, if the Storyteller influences their target by telling them of a great Oni which eats the feet of the dead and carries the hearts of victims to the Shadowlands, the recipient may find themselves plagued by a strange odor, hearing noises in the night, and over the course of weeks or months actually believing that they are being attacked by such a creature. If they successfully defeat this being (the product of their own imagination), the story loses its power and will plague them no more. Each time the Storyteller uses this ability, the roll is a contested one, versus the recipient's Void. The Storyteller loses all points of Void in the attempt, whether successful or not, and cannot use this ability again for a number of days equal to (6 - his current Void).

A master Storyteller has the ability to bring characters from myth and legend to life. Characters such as Doji Nio, son of Kakita; Osano-Wo, the Fortune of Thunder; or Benten, the patroness of romantic love, can all be created in semi-sentient physical form. Such "spirits" are not the original characters, of course - they are merely the Storytellers own chi, which has created a constructed being who has certain traits which are attributed to the character. These creatures, if they can be called that, have no intelligence of their own aside from the mythical knowledge of their characters and the direction of the storyteller. A construct of Osano-Wo might be asked to stand and defend the storyteller, for example, but it cannot woo a woman or cast spells, because those aren't part of Osano-Wo's mythical characteristics. A Storyteller can only have one character active at any given time, and must maintain total concentration or the character will vanish and the maya will end. At no time can the construct be out of the Artisan's sight. If the construct is ever killed or destroyed, the Artisan immediately drops to the "Down" wound rank.
Typical constructs will require an Intelligence + Storytelling roll at a TN of 20, but more obscure characters or characters with a great deal of personality may require a higher TN. Players and GMs should peruse the lore of Rokugan as presented in the various clan books and the basic rule book, and decide on statistics for certain constructs which the storyteller chooses to call upon fairly often - an incarnation of love, for example, or for deceit. A word of warning is required however - the only Artisan bold enough to attempt to bring forth the First Children of the Sun was driven mad and torn to pieces by the power he attempted to channel. Some things are better left alone.
For more information on storytelling, please refer to the suggestions in The Way of the Crane.