Dutiful Disciple Shugenja (Enemies of the Empire p205)

Benefit: +1 Intelligence
Skills: Calligraphy, Lore: Theology, Lore (pick one), Meditation, Spellcraft, any two Skills
Honor: 4.0
Outfit: Sturdy Robes, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon, Traveling Pack, Scroll Satchel, 5 bu
Affinity / Deficiency: Disciple shugenja typically have the same Affinity and Deficiency of their mentor, which of course varies wildly. You may choose one non-Void element in which you gain an Affinity. You are automatically Deficient in the opposing element.

Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 spells of your elemental Affinity, 2 spells of a non-Deficient element, and 1 spell of a second non-Deficient element. You gain additional spells for going up in Rank normally so long as you remain on good terms with your sensei.

Technique: Soul of Study – Disciples often idolize their mentors and regard their teachings as the most sacred of verses. When casting one of your beginning spells (the ones given you by you mentor), you roll an additional +1k0 on Spell Casting Rolls.

Generic Ronin [Bushi] (Secrets of the Empire p)

The ronin mechanics in the L5R 4th Edition RPG are designed to reflect the unfortunate reality of a wave-man’s life – namely, most ronin bands are only around for a short time, and are unable to develop more than one Technique. Even the rare ronin groups that manage to endure for a long time or gain prestigious support, such as the Legion of Two Thousand, are hard-pressed to establish the sort of infrastructure and long-term continuity required to maintain a full-fledged bushi school. The game design reflects this with a system which forces most ronin to rely chiefly on their innate capacities (represented by Skills) with only one or two Techniques.

Although this approach is realistic for the setting, it does put ronin significantly behind clan characters (even Minor Clan characters) in terms of their game-mechanic capabilities. This can be frustrating for players who are running ronin characters. GMs who wish to mitigate this frustration can opt to make this “generic ronin school” available for play. Although a “generic” school does not really fit the concept of what schools are supposed to represent in the world of Rokugan, it does allow greater options for players, which is a virtue in itself. GMs can thus have the freedom to decide whether they wish to focus their campaigns more on setting authenticity at the expense of game-balance, or more on game-balance and maintaining fairness between players.

Although this school is intended primarily to represent ronin, it can also be used to represent any other situation in which a character could have martial training without access to a “named” bushi school. For example, it could represent the training of Great Clan samurai who belong to minor vassal families without access to their clan’s main dojo. It could also represent Minor Clan samurai in clans like the Fox, Dragonfly, Oriole, or Bat who have bushi in their ranks but lack any bushi school of their own.

Benefit: +1 Agility
Honor: 4.5
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Hunting, Intimidation, Kenjutsu, Knives, any one Weapon Skill
Outfit: Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, any 1 weapon, Traveling Pack, 1 koku
Techniques

Rank One: Strength of My Father
Ronin are known for their resilience in the face of adversity. When you are suffering TN penalties due to Wounds, you may make an Earth Roll (ignoring Wound TN penalties) during the Reactions Stage of each Round, with a TN equal to 5 + 5x the number of Wound Ranks you are currently suffering. If the roll is successful, you may ignore the effects of your Wound penalties until the next Reactions Stage. This Technique does not work once you reach the Down or Out Wound Ranks.

Rank Two: Never Yield
Ronin are accustomed to being the underdogs. When you are outnumbered in a skirmish, you gain a bonus to your Armor TN equal to the amount by which the number of enemies exceeds the number of your allies. This bonus cannot exceed the total of your School Rank x2.

Rank Three: Bite of the Wolf
Veteran ronin are swift and deadly fighters. You may attack as a Simple Action when wielding a katana or a knife.

Rank Four: Twice-Cutting Spirit
As ronin become truly experienced, they become ever more deadly with many different weapons. Choose one additional melee weapon: you may attack with that weapon as a Simple Action. Once per skirmish, you may spend a Void Point on a damage roll, regardless of what weapon you are using.

Rank Five: Valor of the Wolf
Those ronin who survive long enough to perfect their skills become legends of the battlefield, able to endure all manner of hardship and prevail in spite of severe injuries. Choose another melee weapon: you may attack with that weapon as a Simple Action. Additionally, you may spend a Void Point to activate your R1 Technique without requiring a Willpower Trait Roll; when you activate it in this way, it lasts a number of Rounds equal to your Fire Ring.

Ronin Order Shugenja (Enemies of the Empire p)

Benefit: +1 Awareness
Skills: Calligraphy (Cipher), Divination, Lore: Theology, Lore (pick any), Meditation, Spellcraft, any one Skill
Honor: 5.0
Outfit: Sturdy Robes, Daisho, Traveling Pack, Scroll Satchel, 5 bu
Affinity / Deficiency: Ronin orders tend to emphasize practicality over power, and most often favor spells that have utility in daily life. You have an Affinity for Air spells and a Deficiency for Earth spells.
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, 3 Air spells, 2 Water spells, and 1 Fire spell

Technique: The Path of Discipline – Orders such as the Brotherhood and other prominent ronin groups emphasize the most basic tenets of shugenja traditions, strengthening the core beliefs and abilities of their students. You gain one Free Raise on all Sense, Commune, and Summon spells for all elements except Void and Earth.

Self-Taught Shugenja (Enemies of the Empire p)

Benefit: +1 Willpower
Skills: Athletics, Hunting, Meditation, Spellcraft, any three non-High Skills
Honor: 4.0
Outfit: Sturdy Robes, Wakizashi, any 1 weapon, Traveling Pack, Scroll Satchel, 5 bu
Affinity / Deficiency: Self-taught shugenja typically have great holes in their training as a result of the trial and error method by which they learn the ways of the kami. You may choose any one non-Void Element in which to have an Affinity. You automatically gain a Deficiency in the opposing Element and in any one other Element of your choice.
Spells: Sense, Commune, Summon, and any five spells you can cast (no spells may be in Elements for which you have a Deficiency).

Technique: The Kami’s Gift – Those who are selftaught possess an affinity for the kami that many among the clans would envy. When you spend a Void Point on a Spellcasting Roll, you add +2k2 instead of +1k1. Unfortunately, you do not automatically gain additional spells when you advance in Rank; you must seek them out on your own.