Moto Bushi School: Moto Bushi

Reprinted w/out permission from Way of the Unicorn

Benefit: +1 Willpower

Beginning Honor: 1 + 5 boxes

Outfit

  

(All items are of average quality, 4 fine)

arrows (30 any type), bow, katana, wakizashi, any 3 weapons, heavy or light armor, kimono, traveling pack, steed, 10 koku

Skills

Archery, Defense, Horsemanship, Hunting, Kenjutsu, Lore: Shadowlands, Meditation

Techniques

Rank 1

  

The bushi is first taught how to make every action perfect, from high-level activity like thought and kenjutsu down even to tasks like breathing and the very beating of the heart. The perf = array (ection of this Technique will take a lifetime. With this purity of motion, the bushi adds his School Rank to his TN to be hit as well as to every skill check and damage roll he makes.

Rank 2

  

Understanding the kharmic ties between those of the Moto family and their corrupted kin, the bushi can detect the proximity of Shadowlands creatures with a successful Awareness check. This is an indistinct sense, and does not rely on sight or any other sense; it's simply a knowing. The better the success, the more is known about the size, number, distance, direction, power, and even intent of the Shadowlands creature(s).

Rank 3

  

Driven by the need for atonement, the bushi can focus on an aggressive attack to the exclusion of all else. He can make two attacks per round, but they may only be gained if the bushi is making a Full Attack.

Rank 4

  

By this time, the bushi is the master of his fate and embraces the doom of his family. The bushi may spend two Void Points on each action, and may declare whether or not he spends them after making his skill roll.

Rank 5

  

By this stage, the bushi is perfectly attuned to the doom of the Moto family. If he dies, he can will his spirit to ravage his body, tearing and shredding it to prevent it from being animated.
The bushi may also stay alive through an indomitable force of will. On the wounds chart, replace Down and Out with -4, and replace Dead with three -5 wound levels, followed by three -6 levels, then -7, etc. The bushi cannot be killed normally, and can remain alive past the -4 state for a number of turns equal to his Void. During this time, he can continue to move, fight, take damage, etc., but he must be healed to -4 or better by the end of his last turn or he dies. Some think this is an expression of the Moto's desire to live, but given the great damage taken by some Moto in their lengthy, desperate battles, other Unicorn samurai know the Moto don't harbor such delusions.