Asako Philosopher [Courtier]

In addition to its purpose as a center of diplomacy, or perhaps because of it, Nikesake is a noted center of education within the Phoenix provinces as well. The so-called Blue Tiled Room within the city is highly specialized, having extensive tomes concerning philosophy gathered from all across the Empire and beyond. Many courtiers stationed within the city for long periods of time, particularly among the Asako, consider the pursuit of philosophy an entertaining pastime, and spend many hours within the library poring over the various tomes. Fluency in one school or another of philosophy is considered something of an achievement, and the courtiers who frequent the library enjoy having elaborate debates among themselves, frequently changing the school of thought from which they are debating in mid-argument or even multiple times during the course of a single debate. Scholarly courtiers of other clans, particularly the Crane, are welcome to join in these debates, but few ever find the pastime quite as entertaining as the Asako seem to. While the avid pursuit of philosophy is largely a diversion among the denizens of Nikesake, the lords of the Phoenix are familiar with their pursuits and have had occasion to call upon them when insight into certain other families and clans is required.

Replaces: Asako Loremaster 2
Requirements: Courtier (Rhetoric) 2, Etiquette 3

Technique: The Winds of Rhetoric - Those who study with the Nikesake sophists have learned to defuse almost any situation, as they have a superior understanding of how those with whom they enter debate think and seek solutions to various problems. You gain a bonus of +1k1 to the total of all Contested Social Skill Rolls using Etiquette.

Elemental Legions [Bushi]

The most unique and potent force within the Phoenix armies is unquestionably the Element Guard, a set of small and highly specialized units consisting primarily of potent Isawa-trained shugenja who specialize in battle. These individuals are capable of battlefield-shaking magic, but they cannot and do not take the field on their own. For each of the Elemental Guard units there exists a highly trained legion from the Shiba family that is uniquely prepared to take the field alongside their shugenja brethren. The Hurricane Initiates are accompanied by the Legion of Wind, the Avalanche Guard by the Legion of Stone, the Firestorm Legion by the Legion of Flame, and Tsunami Legion by the Legion of the Wave. Each of these accompanying legions are staffed with bushi who have received exhaustive training from both shugenja and members of the Brotherhood in how to properly align their spirits with the Element of their guiding force, allowing them to draw strength from the forces unleashed by their shugenja comrades.

Replaces: Shiba Bushi Rank 3
Requirements: Lore: Elements (appropriate Ring) 2. Must be selected to serve in one of the Elemental Legions.

Technique: Strength of the Five - Shiba bushi who serve in the four Elemental Legions are trained to draw strength from their shugenja brothers. When you learn this Technique you must select one non-Void Ring. When an allied shugenja within your line of sight casts a spell of that Elemental, you gain one bonus Void Point. These bonus Void Points may only be spent on rolls which use the Traits associated with that Element. The Void Points may be also used in additional ways (listed below) depending on the Element in question. You may not gain more Void Points in this manner than you School Rank, and bonus Void Points not used by the end of the skirmish are lost.
Air: Increase your Armor Tn by 10 for one Round.
Earth: Reduce the number of Wounds suffered from one damage roll by 10.
Fire: Temporarily increase 1 Skill Rank from 0 to 1 for one roll.
Water: Exchange your Initiative Score with one other willing participant for the duration of the present skirmish.

Isawa Temple Guardian [Shugenja]

Countless temples and holy sites throughout the Emerald Empire have benefited from the protection of the Isawa Temple Guardians over the centuries. Indeed, as a group they are welcome in the lands of virtually every clan and family in Rokugan. Although their expertise is only rarely needed, when it does come into play the results tend to be memorable. There are many tales of a single Temple Guardian turning the tide during an unexpected attack.

Replaces: Isawa Shugenja 3, Agasha Shugenja 3
Requirements: Earth 4, Lore: Theology 3

Technique: Never This Sacred Ground Shall Fall - The Temple Guardians of the Isawa family are well known for the power they bring to bear against all who threaten the holy places of the Empire. When defending a sacred location such as a shrine, temple, or monastery, you gain a Free Raise on all Earth spells. In addition, when defending a sacred location you may spend one Void Point (as a Free Action) when casting any Earth spell that inflicts damage in order to grant it the Jade keyword.

Isawa Tensai [Shugenja] (Core Rules p254)

The Isawa are the undisputed masters of elemental magic among the Great Clans. This prestigious family produces the most shugenja by far, and puts them through rigorous training to maintain high standards. The Tensai stand out as exceptional prodigies even among the Isawa. Instead of a general study of the kami, the Tensai focuses his attentions on a single Element. His command of the kami grows to an astounding level, as the kami seem to sing and dance at his call. Unfortunately, his single-mindedness comes at a high cost. It seems to be one the Tensai are only to eager to bear.

Replaces: Isawa Shugenja 2
Requirements: Lore: Elements 3, Spellcraft 3

Technique: Embrace the Elements - There are those among the Phoenix whose chi is so strongly attuned to the essence of a single Element that they are able to accomplish incredible things by studying that Element to the exclusion of others. You gain an additional Affinity in any one Element for which you already possess an Affinity. You gain a Deficiency in all other Elements. For example, if you are a Rank 1 Isawa with an affinity for Fire, when you advance to this Technique, you will be a Rank 2 shugenja capable of casting Mastery Level 4 Fire spells, but only Mastery Level 1 spells of all other Elements.

Mist Legion [Shugenja]

The Phoenix Clan is home to the Elemental Guard, a set of four elite military units staffed by shugenja specializing in those Elements. Within the Hurricane Initiates, the Legion focused on Air, is a secretive group called the Mist Legion which focuses on using illusions on the battlefield. Although their existence is seldom officially acknowledged, they can be recognized by a small gray cloud worked into the school mon on their kimono. Although they are trained for the battlefield, these shugenja are not solely warriors, and in non-battle situations many of them use their abilities to create massive temporary works of art.

Replaces: Isawa Shugenja 3 (Air Affinity)
Technique: The World is a Canvas - The members of the Mist Legion assist the Elemental Guard and the Elemental Legions by manipulating the battlefield to the advantage of the Phoenix Clan. A number of times per day equal to your Insight Rank, you may spend a Void Point to cast the spell Summon Fog or False Realm as a Simple Action.
Nameless Ones [Shugenja] (Imperial Histories p213)
Replaces: Isawa Shugenja 3
Requirements: Ishiken-do

Technique: Darkness Undone - The Nameless Ones are terrible foes of all corruption, but especially of the Shadowlands. When casting any spell that targets an opponent with the Shadowlands Taint, you may expend one additional spell slot to lower your opponent’s Reduction by an amount equal to your School Rank. You may spend multiple spell slots in this manner, up to a maximum equal to your Void Ring. The lowered Reduction lasts until the beginning of your next Turn.

Order of Chikai [Bushi]

The Order of Chikai is among the oldest and most prestigious orders within the Shiba family, and is revered with an almost religious devotion by many of that family. The Order was founded only a few generations after the Empire formation and bears the name of Shiba Chikai. Chikai was the yojimbo assigned to protect the Phoenix Master of Water; she sacrificed her life to protect her grievously wounded charge from a band of ten assassins, none of whom survived the encounter. Since that time, the Order has devoted itself to providing the finest possible yojimbo to protect all five members of the Council of Elemental Masters. Members of the Order are hand-selected by its leaders and are universally drawn from yojimbo with exceptional records of service. Many have already served with the most elite units of the Shiba army (such as the family's House Guard).

Technique: Rank 5
Replaces: Shiba Bushi 5
Requirements: Must have taken the Shiba Yojimbo Path at Rank 3 and be selected for service in the Order of Chikai.

Technique: None Must Fall - A member of the Order of Chikai will gladly sacrifice his life to save his charge, but prefers to preserve both lives so that he may live to protect his charge another day. You may designate one individual as your charge at the beginning of a skirmish. When your charge is targeted by an attack or spell you may use the Shiba Yojimbo Technique as normal, making the same Defense / Reflexes roll (TN 25) to absorb the damage instead of the charge. However, at the time of the roll you may choose to spend a Void Point as a Free Action to activate this additional ability: if you succeed in the roll, the damage is negated rather than simply transferred to you.

Provincial Guard [Bushi]

Once known as the Sapphire Legion, the Provincial Guard is a unit of distinction among the Phoenix Clan, well known for its defense of the sacred City of Treaties, Nikesake. The legion was founded hundreds of years ago, and named for the accord reached between the Phoenix and Crane clans, an accord further reinforced in later years by the marriage of Isawa Asahina to the daughter of the Crane Champion, resulting in the creation of the Asahina family. The legion’s name is taken from the color of the gemstone in question, a tribute to the colors of their allies among the Crane. In recent generations, however, the creation of an elite unit called the Legion of the Sapphire Chrysanthemum within the hierarchy of the Imperial families, who were ignorant of the Phoenix unit’s existence, has created something of a predicament for the Phoenix clan. They cannot continue to refer to their unit as the Sapphire Legion for fear of confusing them with the Imperial group of a similar name, and so the group has become known simply as the Provincial Guard, an admittedly somewhat bland name that manages to preserve both the unit’s intent as well as its integrity. Members of the Provincial Guard are well known for their courtly tendencies, and are trained in matters of etiquette in addition to their normal duties as sentries and yojimbo. Perhaps Ironically, the Shiba who train within Nikesake have found that the two aspects of their training are actually quite similar, and mutually beneficial.

Replaces: Shiba Bushi 2
Requirements: Defense 2, Etiquette 2
Technique: Maintaining the Peace - A Shiba member of the Provincial Guard is skilled in protecting himself from all harm, regardless of its source. When in the Defense or Full Defense Stances and spending a Void Point to augment your Armor TN, you also add an amount to your Armor TN equal to your Etiquette Skill.

Shiba Armorsmiths [Bushi] [Artisan]

The love of Shiba have for scholarly pursuits and the arts is an oddity among bushi families in Rokugan, so much so that many other bushi families look upon them with a mixture of confusion and distaste. Many Shiba pursue some manner of artistic endeavor, although they usually prefer those of a scholarly nature, such as poetry or writing. Some, however, embrace both sides of the their family's nature and take up the path of the armorsmith, crafting the famous armor of the Phoenix Clan. These are both beautiful artistic creations and instruments of defense for what the Shiba regard as the tragic inevitability of war.

Replaces: Shiba Bushi 2
Requirements: Craft: Armorsmithing 3, Defense 3
Technique: Brilliant Steel - A Shiba armorsmith is adept at the creation of beautiful armor, and consequently is also adept at using armor effectively on the battlefield. You gain a +1k0 bonus when making Craft rolls to create armor. When you are wearing armor and spend a Void Point to increase your Armor TN by 10, you may increase your Armor TN by an additional amount equal to twice your Earth Ring.

Shiba Illusionists [Shugenja] [Artisan]

Founded by the unconventional shugenja Shiba Tsuna, the Illusionists use Air Magic to delight and entertain, following their founder's dictum that there is no sound the Air kami like more than the laughter of children. They are regarded with some hostility by the Isawa, who believe their use of the kami is frivolous, but after the disgrace of Tsuna's rival the Isawa have avoided any direct attack on the organization, preferring to simply ignore it as much as possible.

Replaces: Isawa Shugenja 1 or Shiba Artisan 1
Special: Illusionists use the Trait benefit, Skills, Honor, and outfit of whichever School they are attending in addition to the Technique of this Path. Illusionists are always presumed to have an Affinity for Air and gain 3 Air, 2 Water, and 1 Earth spell if this Path is their first Shugenja Technique.
Technique: The Tejina's Art - The path of the illusionist is one that specializes in crafting false images. You gain a number of additional spell slots per day equal to your School Rank. You may only use these slots to cast the spells Token of Memory, Flight of Doves, or Mists of Illusion.

Shiba Yojimbo [Bushi] (Core Rules p254)

Shiba bent the knee to man and swore to follow the Isawa family at the inception of the Phoenix Clan. Throughout Rokugan's history, the Shiba family has acted as the defenders of the Isawa shugenja against anything that may stand against them. The Shiba take this duty seriously and many have devoted their entire lives to this goal. The Shiba Yojimbo is the epitome of the family's ideal; he will die before he allows harm to his charge.

Replaces: Shiba Bushi 3
Requirements: Honor Rank 5.0+
Technique: Shiba's Sacrifice - The Shiba yojimbo are an elite cadre of personal guards, trained to give their lives for their charges at a moment's notice. Only the most honorable and selfless of the Shiba are selected for this training, since it requires a willingness to throw one's life away without hesitation. At the start of any skirmish, you may designate one ally as your charge for that skirmish. Any time your charge is hit by a physical or a targeted (non-area-affect) damage-causing spell, if you are within 10' you may make a Defense / Reflexes roll at TN 25. With a success, you take the damage instead of your charge. If you spend a Void Point to reduce this damage, it is reduced by 20 instead of the normal 10.

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).