Seppun Miharu School: Seppun Miharu

Reprinted w/out permission from Kyuden Kakita

Benefit: +1 Perception

Beginning Honor: 3 + 5 boxes

Outfit

  

(All items are of fine quality, 1 excellent)

arrows (20 any type), bow, katana, wakizashi, yari, any 2 weapons, heavy armor, helm, kimono, emerald badge of office, steed, 20 koku

Skills

Archery, Battle, Defense, Etiquette, Iajutsu, Kenjutsu, Obiesaseru

Note

The Seppun Miharu School is only open to members of the Seppun family (or in rare cases, children of the Imperial House with Seppun mothers).
There are only a few hundred Seppun guards in Rokugan, so they generally command troops of Lion or Crane bushi rather than leading their own men. Thus, Seppun guards often spend a year studying at either the Akodo or Daidoji school (just enough to understand the techniques, not enough to learn them), and can take Allies in the Crane or Lion Clans for one point less at character creation.

Techniques

Rank 1

  

The Seppun understands that loyalty to the Hantei line supports the pillars of the world, and cannot be swayed from his duty by any desire. He may add his School Rank to his Willpower or Honor (to roll and to keep), for purposes of resisting any temptation away from his duty, including fear, fatigue,seduction, bribery, or the pleas of his own dying children.

Rank 2

  

The Imperial Guard learns to use his senses to move through an attacker's defense as quickly as Lady Sun's rays part the morning clouds. For the first round of combat, the Miharu may roll an additional number of dice equal to their Perception, keeping one additional die. In addition, he may make a simple Perception test to avoid being surprised in an ambush or assassination attempt. The TN for this test is the attacker's Honor x5. Attackers actually trained at an assassin's school add their School Rank x5 to this TN.

Rank 3

  

After so much time spent in the presence of the son of Amaterasu, the Imperial Guard no longer sees with the clouded eyes of mortals. His discerning gaze can pick out the true nature of all that he views. The character rolls his Honor against a TN of the target character's Awareness x5 to see through physical disguises, Mists of Illusion spells, ninja magic, oni shape-changing abilities, Shosuro actors, etc. This may also be used (at a TN determined by the GM) to see the true nature of disguised item (i.e. noticing hidden doors, concealed traps or poisons and so on).

Rank 4

  

Even the constraints of time itself cannot keep a Seppun from his duty. At this rank, the Seppun guard has two actions per round. These can be used for attack or for any other purpose (e.g. jumping in front of arrows, slinging the Emperor's heir onto his horse and riding away, and so on).

Rank 5

  

The Seppun's bond with his charge has the strength of Lady Sun behind it. Even when his attentions are elsewhere, he is attuned to any danger. Whenever he is within his School Rank in yards of the person he is guarding, the bushi may spend a Void Point to transfer damage or harmful spell effects inflicted on that person to himself. This ability works even if the bushi's back is turned, eyes are closed, or he is knocked out by a sleeping drought.
Normally, this ability is used to protect a member of the Hantei line, but the bushi may choose another recipient. At the dawn of each day, the bushi must declare who the Technique is attuned to, and he will remain attuned to that character alone until the following morning.