Acolyte of Thunder [Shugenja] (Imperial Histories p306)

The guidance of the Oracle of Thunder allows the shugenja of the Mantis Clan to discover new ways to call on the power of Thunder.

Replaces: Yoritomo Shugenja 4
Requirements: Fire 3, Void 4
Technique: Thunder's Call - The Acolytes of Thunder can call on the power of the great Thunder Dragon to smite their enemies. You may cast the spell Fury of Osano-Wo as a Simple Action by sacrificing a spell slot in any Element. Your Raises for damage on that spell award +1k1 per Raise instead of +1k0.

Mantis Navigator [Shugenja] (Core Rules p253)

The Mantis Clan is the undisputed master of the seas. Each captain of their ships is trained to handle the worst the waters can throw at him. The Mantis Navigator, meanwhile, can solve any problems beyond the abilities of a normal man. His mastery of the seas is unparalleled; his whispered prayers can calm the roughest seas and clear the darkest skies. The crew can rest easy , knowing the Navigator will get them back to land without fail.

Replaces: Any Mantis Shugenja School, Rank 3
Requirements: Sailing (Navigation) 3

Technique: The Fortunes' Guidance - The shugenja who serve the Mantis are taught many techniques that allow them to placate the elements, even under extreme circumstances. When confronted with difficult weather conditions, you may negate them by spending a Void Point as a Simple Action. This affects an area equal to your School Rank x 20 feet in all directions of you. In a skirmish, this effect last a number of Rounds equal to your School Rank. Outside of combat, this effect lasts a number of hours equal to your School Rank. If the weather effect being negated is the result of a spell, you may only negate spells with a Mastery Level equal or less than your School Rank, and then only bey spending a number of spell slots equal to the Mastery Level in addition to the Void Point.

Mantis Orochi Rider [Bushi]

The strange origins and history of the special groups known as the Orochi Riders are explained in the L5R 4th Edition supplements Enemies of the Empire (the Spirits chapter) and The Great Clans (Mantis chapter). In the latter half of the twelfth century, the Orochi Riders are a small but extremely powerful element of the Mantis Clan military, and the closest thing the clan has to a cavalry tradition.

Replaces: The Orochi Rider Path can replace any Mantis Basic/Advanced School Technique at Insight Rank 6, or replace a “blank” Insight Rank for a character who has attained Rank 5 in any Mantis Basic School. If you are trained entirely in one of the Mantis Shugenja Schools, you may take this Technique at Rank 5 instead; in that case, this is considered a Shugenja Path.
Requirements: Water 4, Athletics 5, Lore: Spirit Realms 5
Special: The character must be specially chosen to become an Orochi Rider and must successfully form a bond with an Orochi.

Technique: The Orochi Pact - The Orochi Riders are taught to form and maintain a spiritual bond with one of the Orochi sea-serpents, and to ride them into battle using the Athletics Skill. You gain an Orochi (Enemies of the Empire, page 252) as a mount; the Orochi is an NPC (controlled by the GM) but will generally obey your commands and fight at your side so long as you do not demand anything suicidal of it. You gain a +2k0 bonus to Athletics rolls, and your bond with the Orochi grants you two special abilities: You are considered to have two Ranks of Magic Resistance against hostile Water Magic. While riding the Orochi, you may hold your breath underwater for twice the normal amount of time.

Mantis Whirlwind Fighters [Bushi]

Yoritomo is credited both with perfecting the final technique of his family’s school and also with developing this powerful variation of the Mantis fighting style, the so-called Whirlwind Fighting style. This form relies on a mixture of relentless motion and relentless attacks to both obstruct enemy blows and overwhelm the foe with rapid strikes. Among the Yoritomo it is often the preferred fighting form to use in duels within the family, and some Mantis call the masters of this style “Whirlwind Duelists.”

Replaces: Yoritomo Bushi 4
Requirements: Knives (Kama) 5

Technique: Waves Rush to Shore - Whirlwind Fighters are a constant blur of motion, using their swift and relentless strikes both to deflect their opponents’ attack and to break through their defenses. When fighting with a kama in each hand, you may add your Knives Skill Rank to your Armor TN, and gain a bonus of +3k0 to your damage rolls with kama.

Moshi Guardian of the Sun [Bushi]

For much of their existence the Moshi family were without a ready source of bushi to defend their holdings. The family's meager resources permitted them to hire a small number of ronin to supplement the very limited numbers of their own family who were not shugenja, but it was generally agreed that this was insufficient, and only the extreme isolation of the family's holdings prevented it from being a critical problem. The lack of bushi has been less of an issue since the family's induction into the Mantis Clan, since the Yoritomo can supply ample forces to secure the Moshi homelands, but the family still prefers to have its most sacred locations defended by its own.

The bushi unit known as the Guardians of the Sun has evolved over the centuries. It is comprised of the finest Moshi warriors available and specializes not only in the defense of the homeland but also in the protection of the family's shugenja. While not as well known as the Shiba or Daidoji yojimbo traditions, the Guardians of the Sun are nevertheless well regarded for their dedication and prowess.

Replaces: Any Mantis Bushi 1
Benefit: +1 Stamina
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Jiujutsu, Kenjutsu, Lore: Theology, Spears, any 1 High or Bugei Skill
Honor: 6.5
Outfit: Ashigaru or Light Armor, Sturdy Clothing, Daisho, Bow or Knife, Traveling Pack, 5 koku
Requirements: None
Special: Prior to the Moshi joining the Mantis, this technique can also replace Insight Rank 1 for a Moshi bushi without a school

Technique: Defended as the Sun - The Guardians of the Sun take an oath to repel all attacks against their sacred charges. When defending a Moshi personage or holding in a skirmish, you may choose to either gain a bonus of +1k0 to your attack roll or to add an additional +1k1 to the Armor TN of a person or object you are defending with the Guard Action. You make this determination at the start of your Turn during each Round of the skirmish.

Sisters of the Sacred Light [Shugenja]

Founded in the years immediately after the creation of the Centipede Clan, the Sisters of the Sacred Light were originally created to deal with infestations of mischievous spirits. Although founded by the Centipede, they recruit women from several clans, and those women are expected to forsake their former loyalties in order to follow the path of purity and wisdom which the Sisters teach. They dress in the traditional garb of a temple priestess (a red hakama and white gi), bereft of all markings save for a single clan mon to indicate their ancestry.

Replaces: Asahina Shugenja 2, Isawa Shugenja (Air) 2, Moshi Shugenja 2

Technique: Light Banishes Lies - The Sisters of the Sacred Light specialize in exposing illusions as the falsehoods they are. When attempting to Banish the kami of Air, who are of course responsible for the vast majority of illusion effects, you require only 2 Raises on the Sense spell (rather than the normal 3) and only 3 Raises on the Commune spell (rather than the normal 5).

Soldier of the Three Man Alliance [Bushi] (Imperial Histories p149)

The formation of the Three Man Alliance is the first step in a process of twelfth-century consolidation among the Minor Clans, leading to (among other things) the combination of the Mantis, Wasp, and Centipede clans into the Great Clan of the Mantis and, later in the century, the creation of the Minor Clan Alliance. It is the creation of the Three Man Alliance and their military victory over the Scorpion Clan that first inspires the Minor Clans to band together for greater benefit and effect, and many successful officers from that first military alliance eventually go on to achieve military and political prestige within the Minor Clan Alliance.

The fighting technique of the Three Man Alliance is formed by the combined efforts of several experienced soldiers from the Sparrow and Wasp. The warriors pool their life experience and develop a unified technique to carry back to their respective clans. Although the Three Man Alliance is superseded during the later Clan War by Yoritomo's Alliance, the technique it developed survives, and decades later it is still occasionally taught in Suzume and Tsuruchi dojo.

Replaces: Tsuruchi Archer 2, Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter 2, or Suzume Bushi 2
Requirements: Battle 2

Technique: Stand Against Oppression - The scions of the Minor Clan are not intimidated by their more influential detractors among the Great Clans. Far from it, they are inspired to greatness by their hardships. When facing an opponent with a higher Glory Rank than you, you may spend a Void Point to gain bonus unkept dice on your attack roll equal to the difference in your respective Glory Ranks. You may not gain more dice than your School Rank from this Technique.

Student of the Cliff's Edge [Bushi]

The Mantis love chain weapons, especially the kusarigama – which was wielded by none other than their clan founder, Kaimetsu-Uo. Basic Mantis chain weapon training is similar to the training in other clans, but the clan’s most advanced chain-weapon fighters train in the Cliff’s Edge Dojo, learning specialized maneuvers taught only by the most experienced sensei. Many students undertake special pilgrimages to be able to truly master
the Mantis techniques.

Replaces: Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter 3 or Yoritomo Bushi 4
Requirements: Agility 4, Chain Weapons 5

Technique: Howl of the Cliff's Edge - The Mantis who train at Cliff’s Edge Dojo are particularly fond of using the kusarigama to trip, disarm, and otherwise disable their foes. When using a kusarigama to make a Knockdown or Disarm maneuver, you gain a +2k1 bonus to your attack roll. You may call three Raises on an attack with a kusarigama to Entangle an opponent up to 15’ away (as per the Entangled condition in the L5R 4th Edition Core rulebook, page 89). The condition lasts until you voluntarily release the foe (as a Free Action), or the foe succeeds in a Contested Strength Roll against you (as a Simple Action).

Tsuruchi Master Bowman [Bushi]

Tsuruchi never gave up trying to perfect his skills as an archer, and he perfected this final technique shortly before he was critically wounded at the Battle of Oblivion's Gate. He taught it to only a bare handful of his most trusted followers. Since then, only the most worthy and elite of the Tsuruchi family have been trusted to learn its secrets.

Replaces: N/A
Requirements: Kyujutsu 7. Must have School Rank 5 in either the Tsuruchi Archer or Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter School, and be selected by the Tsuruchi sensei to learn this technique.

Technique: The Way of the Archer - Tsuruchi was perhaps the greatest archer in the history of Rokugan, and his final technique pushes the limits of what can be achieved with the bow. When using a bow, your range is increased by 150' (this is applied before applying the 50% range bonus for Kyujutsu Rank 5). Your Raises with a bow are no longer limited by your Void Ring (or Skill Rank if you have Great Potential), and you may perform Called Shots for half the normal number of Raises (rounded up).

Tsuruchi Swordsman [Bushi]

The origins of the Tsuruchi family are found in the Wasp Clan, the tiny Minor Clan that would later join the Mantis Clan and become the Tsuruchi. The family’s founder, a ronin born of a union of Lion and Scorpion, despised the blade because to him it represented all that was wrong with the clans of his parents, the same clans that robbed him of everything he knew and loved in the world when he was little more than a child. Because of this, he eschewed it completely and expected his followers to do the same; the samurai who served the Wasp did not even carry a katana. Generations of war and decades of service to the Mantis, however, as well as the retirement of Tsuruchi himself to the ranks of the Brotherhood of Shinsei, gave rise to a new generation of samurai who saw no reason to cast off study of the blade, and in fact embraced it to the fullest. With the natural athleticism of the Tsuruchi, swordsmanship comes easily once embraced, and the Tsuruchi swordsmen are rapidly developing a reputation as the finest in the entire Mantis Clan. Granted, this is not the greatest praise, given that most families within the clan embrace alternative weapons as their primary combat style, but other clans have begun to recognize the potential of Tsuruchi as opponents.

Replaces: Tsuruchi Archer 4, Tsuruchi Bounty Hunter 4
Requirements: Kenjutsu 3
Technique: Ascendancy of Steel - A master of the Tsuruchi style is a flurry of movement and unrelenting assault. You may make a melee attack as a Simple Action rather than a Complex Action when wielding a sword.

Yoritomo Emissaries [Courtier]

The Yoritomo as a whole are not known for their patience, but they have found that it is occasionally a useful virtue in the courts. Beginning with the era of White Stag, the Emissaries emerged as the exception to the Mantis Clan's general diplomatic habits. They are well-trained court functionaries, schooled to handle hostile negotiations with calm patience, displaying much greater subtlety then "normal" Yoritomo courtiers.

Replaces; Yoritomo Courtier 4
Requirements: Etiquette (Courtesy) 4

Technique: Intrepid Negotiator - Where the standard Yoritomo training focuses on browbeating foes, the Emissary learns to leaven this aggression with the calm patience of the Earth, outlasting opponents' anger and thus finding peaceful solutions to potentially violent confrontations. When making an Etiquette or Sincerity roll, you may spend a Void Point to add your Willpower in unkept dice to the roll. If the roll is specifically using Etiquette (Courtesy), you add your Willpower in kept dice instead.

Yoritomo Scoundrel [Bushi] (Core Rules p253)

The Mantis Clan was once a Minor Clan, and the Yoritomo have never shied away from performing questionable activities to make a name for themselves. Over the years they have been smugglers, pirates, and mercenaries. The Mantis have gained legitimacy with time, but old habits are hard to break - especially when those habits are quite effective in fulfilling the Yoritomo's wishes. The Scoundrel may perform feats that are considered beneath a samurai, but he knows what he does is for the good of his clan.

Replaces: Yoritomo Bushi 2
Requirements: Commerce 2, Sailing 2
Technique: Revel in Villainy - The Scoundrel will do what he must, despite what society may say about his activities. Whenever you spent a Void Point to enhance an Athletics, Commerce, Sailing, Sincerity, or Low Skill Roll, you gain an additional bonus to the total of the roll equal to twice your School Rank.

Yoritomo Sculptors [Artisan]

Although the Mantis are not known for their artistic traditions, their sailors' penchant for wood-carving on long voyages has developed over time into a modest school within the clan. The clan drew on commercial ties with the Crane or the Phoenix to gain the services of their artistic sensei and develop its casual skills into a true Technique. In modern times, the Mantis use this group as a source of both political favor and personal leverage.

Replaces: Any Mantis Bushi or Courtier 2
Requirements: Artisan: Sculpture or Craft: Sculpture 4
Technique: Watanabe's Legacy - The Yoritomo Sculptors hone their wood-carving skills on ship-board before graduating to actual training in their organization's tiny school. You gain a +1k1 bonus when using the Skills of Artisan: Sculpture and Craft: Sculpture, and you may ignore any circumstantial or environmental penalties (distractions, weather, noise, etc) to your rolls with those two Skills.