GM Questions

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Uh. Some more, sorry!

1) I never took servant before, so general question on them - you can get 1 more skill point for 3 XP when taking the advantage, yeah?

Any way to increase their skill or trait later?

2) If you take an origin other than Mekham and are part of a Faction, but then for story reasons and/or due to Black sheep can't advance further in your origin's school, can you take Mekhem/Unaligned paths (which don't list a specific school they substitute) later without taking Different Schools? Or would you need different schools to do so?

3) As a possible alternative to the above - can you "be from an origin" story-wise not take another origin if you're no longer part of/ has been cast off from/ are not proud of that heritage? I'm thinking if a situation similar to the above, as a possible way to avoid having to take different schools due to being cast off from your group of origin (and your Faction having no paths you could take with schools from your origin)

[Jewel]

Uh. Some more, sorry!

1) I never took servant before, so general question on them - you can get 1 more skill point for 3 XP when taking the advantage, yeah?

Any way to increase their skill or trait later?

You can buy multiple ranks/emphases at creation at 3 points per. I might allow increasing them later though there would likely be a cost increase.

2) If you take an origin other than Mekham and are part of a Faction, but then for story reasons and/or due to Black sheep can't advance further in your origin's school, can you take Mekhem/Unaligned paths (which don't list a specific school they substitute) later without taking Different Schools? Or would you need different schools to do so?

It would require Multiple Schools.

3) As a possible alternative to the above - can you "be from an origin" story-wise not take another origin if you're no longer part of/ has been cast off from/ are not proud of that heritage? I'm thinking if a situation similar to the above, as a possible way to avoid having to take different schools due to being cast off from your group of origin (and your Faction having no paths you could take with schools from your origin)

Subject: Mekham

...as well as those who have lost ties to other homes either by fate or by choice.

So someone who has completely turned their back on their home culture and embraced the city could take Mekham as an Origin. It would preclude taking Black Sheep as a mechanical disadvantage though the concept could still be part of their story.

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

You can buy multiple ranks/emphases at creation at 3 points per. I might allow increasing them later though there would likely be a cost increase.

I suppose raising traits is a no-go then, yeah?

2) If you take an origin other than Mekham and are part of a Faction, but then for story reasons and/or due to Black sheep can't advance further in your origin's school, can you take Mekhem/Unaligned paths (which don't list a specific school they substitute) later without taking Different Schools? Or would you need different schools to do so?

It would require Multiple Schools.

Ack yeah, I meant Multiple Schools, always mix those up. Sorry!

Just thought of another possible alternative - if you keep your origin but take different school for your rank 1 school (taking one of the mekham paths), could you then take other mekham paths later? Or would that also need Multiple schools?

[Jewel]

You can buy multiple ranks/emphases at creation at 3 points per. I might allow increasing them later though there would likely be a cost increase.

I suppose raising traits is a no-go then, yeah?

Correct.

Just thought of another possible alternative - if you keep your origin but take different school for your rank 1 school (taking one of the mekham paths), could you then take other mekham paths later? Or would that also need Multiple schools?

I'd allow it

[Bazir]

How much does upgrading an advantage would cost?

[Jewel]

How much does upgrading an advantage would cost?

The new rank+2

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

One more, sorry!

The rules of shields here read:

Bearing a shield imposes a -5 penalty to attack and Athletic rolls. Attacking with a shield uses Brawling (Shield Bash) and suffers off-hand attack penalties based on the size of the shield. When used as a weapon shields have a DR of 1k2.

Which is slightly different from the wording in the LBS 4e document:

(...)shields also use the Wielding Two Weapons rules in L5R 4th Edition (page 141) to determine the penalty that the holder of the shield suffers to all attack rolls. In addition (unlike wielding two weapons) the wielder of a shield also suffers the same penalty to all athletics skill rolls.(...)

(...) A character attempting to make an attack with a weapon in his off-hand (insert: this would be the shield) suffers a penalty of -5 to the roll if it is a small weapon, -10 if it is medium, and -15 if it is large. Additionally, attacks made with the character's dominant hand suffer a penalty of -5 to attacks as long as a secondary weapon is held in the off-hand.(...)

Is the different wording in fact a different ruling, or just a different wording of the same thing? Specifically - if you are holding ONLY a shield and attacking with Brawling, or if you are holding a shield and a knife and have Knives 3 (or some other ability that removes Off-hand penalties with the weapon you're using), does the different wording used here mean you STILL suffer the -5 penalty to attack due to the shield?

And on the same vein - if you would NOT suffer the -5 penalty to attacks if using knife + shield or fists + shield, does that mean you also don't suffer the -5 penalty to athletics skill rolls?

Thanks, and sorry for the numerous questions!

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Ack! Two more...

Short Bow
Keywords : Small
Strength: 1 (minimum strength of 3 to wield)
Range: 100'
Special rules: Increases TN of all attack rolls by 10 on horseback.
Cost: 6 Copper

The shortbow seems to be basically the same thing as the Han-kyu ,except that they need a minimum strength of 3 to wield even though it's got a Strength of 1. Is that on purpose?

And also - if you get a Horse Bow but is not strong enough to wield it.... can you swap it out for a bow for punier folks? XD Or are you stuck with it?

[Arash Karuvah]

Don't you just use the lower strength value of the Horse bow?

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Don't you just use the lower strength value of the Horse bow?

Would be the case if the 'minimum strength to wield' clause weren't there! ("if your strength is lower than the bow's"). But with that clause you can't even try to use it if your strength is lower than 3