A "Mongol" Samurai [Archive] - Wizards Community

A "Mongol" Samurai [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
slan
01-12-05, 05:46 AM This is a version of the OA samurai class, modified to suit a culture based on the Mongols. It's from my OA homebrew world, the Khanate of Dova'an (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=362140)

Comments and critiques are welcome.

No'ker (Samurai)
No'ker are a variant of the samurai base class described in Oriental Adventures. They are steppe warriors who have sworn their honor to a noyan or khan, and play much the same role in Tirhan society as samurai do in other “oriental” cultures; however, the no'ker abide by a code of honor significantly different from the bushido of Rokugan, have a different set of skills and feats, and center their martial abilities around a different weapon and style of combat. They have the same base attack bonus and saving throws as a samurai of their level, rely on the same spread of ability scores, use the same hit dice, and possess the same armor and weapon proficiencies.

Otherwise, no'ker have the following Game Rule Information.

Class Skills: A no'ker's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis) and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Class Features
No'ker possess the following class features.

Ancestral Sulde: All no'ker begin play with a sulde – a masterwork spear with strands of hair from the finest stallions tied to its shaft, just below the blade. Typically, this weapon belonged to his ancestors, and protecting it is an important point of honor for the no'ker. As a no'ker acquires experience through adventuring, he has the option of awakening the supernatural abilities latent in the weapon.

A sulde, or spirit banner spear, requires special treatment. Whenever a no'ker's camp is erected, he stakes his sulde at the entrance of his ger to stand as a perpetual guardian. An unattended sulde must at all times remain out of doors, absorbing the power of the spirits, the elements and the Tirhan's ancestors. If at any time a no'ker leaves his sulde unattended indoors (defined as being in a different room than the no'ker), the weapon becomes impure, and the no'ker cannot awaken any of its latent powers until he finds a kam of at least two levels higher than himself, to cast an atonement spell upon him and his spear.

On any night, a no'ker may retreat to the highest natural point in the surrounding landscape, shed his clothing and kneel in prayer under the night sky to awaken the ancestral spirits in his spear. This requires a sacrifice, exactly as the Ancestral Daisho ability described for samurai on page 21 of Oriental Adventures.

Except as noted here, the Ancestral Sulde ability also obeys all other rules for Ancestral Daisho.

Bonus Feats: The no'ker gains bonus feats at the same rate as other samurai. However, he selects these feats from a different list than typical samurai.

A no'ker chooses his bonus feats from the following list: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Shot on the Run, Improved Precise Shot), Saddleback*, Self-Sufficient, Strength of the Charger*, Tireless**, Weapon Focus (spear, lance, bow or sword).

* OA feat updated in Dragon #318.
** Replacement feat detailed in Dragon #318.

Code of Conduct: Like other samurai, the no'ker follows a strict code of honor, and must be lawful in alignment. This code emphasizes many values in common with other such codes (compassion, honesty, courage, loyalty, etc.), but it does contain several distinct differences, as well. Notably, these differences center around a no'ker's conduct in combat and his responsibilities to his lord.

Sechen Khan, founder of the Empire, once pronounced, “it is always better to live for your khan than to die for him.” On another occasion, he said, “there is no honor in a battle lost.” These principles and others have been codified over the generations into a code of honor that allows for creative use of both deception and brutality in warfare. Trickery, false retreat, stealth, surprise attacks, overwhelming mass force and other tactics that a typical samurai might find underhanded are all acceptable to the no'ker, so long as they are carried out in the service of his noyan or khan.

Similarly, it is unthinkable for a noyan or khan to demand suicide of his no'ker, or for him to order his subjects into a suicidal battle for the sake of honor. Any no'ker who receives such orders from his liege is automatically considered freed of his oath to that lord, and may disobey him, leave his service or even challenge him to a duel or call for a kuriltai to judge him, all without penalty. However, if a no'ker ever does any of those things to a lord who has behaved honorably, the no'ker becomes disgraced and will be banished from his camp. He also loses access to the powers of his ancestral sulde until and unless he regains his liege's trust and receives an atonement spell from a kam (or a kudesnik, for Tirhan who worship Sveroch) of at least two levels higher than his no'ker level.

For more on a no'ker's code of honor, see “The Yasa.”
Ancient Wyrm
01-12-05, 01:41 PM I don't see the reason you upped the skill points to 6 per level, unless it's due to the loss of the wakizashi half of the ancestral daisho, and the fact that the spear is inferior to the katana. However, the skills probably overbalance this, as the daisho is mostly a flavor ability anyway - if you don't like what you got from it, you can just buy something else. (Availability might be a factor at higher levels, but if a character finds himself in your campaign's equivalent of Shanghai, he'll be good to go.) Those are also good class skills - the better part of a ranger plus a paladin. And the feat list is larger and the code of conduct less zealously restrictive.
slan
01-12-05, 02:25 PM Ancient Wyrm, you must be a mind reader. Those were my reasons exactly, and also my concerns. Hopefully, others will critique this, as well. If a consensus develops on the issue of skill points and selection, I will alter the choices.

Thanks for the input.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
slan 01-12-05, 05:46 AM	This is a version of the OA samurai class, modified to suit a culture based on the Mongols. It's from my OA homebrew world, the Khanate of Dova'an (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=362140) Comments and critiques are welcome. No'ker (Samurai) No'ker are a variant of the samurai base class described in Oriental Adventures. They are steppe warriors who have sworn their honor to a noyan or khan, and play much the same role in Tirhan society as samurai do in other “oriental” cultures; however, the no'ker abide by a code of honor significantly different from the bushido of Rokugan, have a different set of skills and feats, and center their martial abilities around a different weapon and style of combat. They have the same base attack bonus and saving throws as a samurai of their level, rely on the same spread of ability scores, use the same hit dice, and possess the same armor and weapon proficiencies. Otherwise, no'ker have the following Game Rule Information. Class Skills: A no'ker's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis) and Use Rope (Dex). Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4. Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier. Class Features No'ker possess the following class features. Ancestral Sulde: All no'ker begin play with a sulde – a masterwork spear with strands of hair from the finest stallions tied to its shaft, just below the blade. Typically, this weapon belonged to his ancestors, and protecting it is an important point of honor for the no'ker. As a no'ker acquires experience through adventuring, he has the option of awakening the supernatural abilities latent in the weapon. A sulde, or spirit banner spear, requires special treatment. Whenever a no'ker's camp is erected, he stakes his sulde at the entrance of his ger to stand as a perpetual guardian. An unattended sulde must at all times remain out of doors, absorbing the power of the spirits, the elements and the Tirhan's ancestors. If at any time a no'ker leaves his sulde unattended indoors (defined as being in a different room than the no'ker), the weapon becomes impure, and the no'ker cannot awaken any of its latent powers until he finds a kam of at least two levels higher than himself, to cast an atonement spell upon him and his spear. On any night, a no'ker may retreat to the highest natural point in the surrounding landscape, shed his clothing and kneel in prayer under the night sky to awaken the ancestral spirits in his spear. This requires a sacrifice, exactly as the Ancestral Daisho ability described for samurai on page 21 of Oriental Adventures. Except as noted here, the Ancestral Sulde ability also obeys all other rules for Ancestral Daisho. Bonus Feats: The no'ker gains bonus feats at the same rate as other samurai. However, he selects these feats from a different list than typical samurai. A no'ker chooses his bonus feats from the following list: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Mounted Combat (Mounted Archery, Ride-By Attack, Spirited Charge, Trample), Point Blank Shot (Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Manyshot, Shot on the Run, Improved Precise Shot), Saddleback, Self-Sufficient, Strength of the Charger, Tireless*, Weapon Focus (spear, lance, bow or sword). OA feat updated in Dragon #318. ** Replacement feat detailed in Dragon #318. Code of Conduct: Like other samurai, the no'ker follows a strict code of honor, and must be lawful in alignment. This code emphasizes many values in common with other such codes (compassion, honesty, courage, loyalty, etc.), but it does contain several distinct differences, as well. Notably, these differences center around a no'ker's conduct in combat and his responsibilities to his lord. Sechen Khan, founder of the Empire, once pronounced, “it is always better to live for your khan than to die for him.” On another occasion, he said, “there is no honor in a battle lost.” These principles and others have been codified over the generations into a code of honor that allows for creative use of both deception and brutality in warfare. Trickery, false retreat, stealth, surprise attacks, overwhelming mass force and other tactics that a typical samurai might find underhanded are all acceptable to the no'ker, so long as they are carried out in the service of his noyan or khan. Similarly, it is unthinkable for a noyan or khan to demand suicide of his no'ker, or for him to order his subjects into a suicidal battle for the sake of honor. Any no'ker who receives such orders from his liege is automatically considered freed of his oath to that lord, and may disobey him, leave his service or even challenge him to a duel or call for a kuriltai to judge him, all without penalty. However, if a no'ker ever does any of those things to a lord who has behaved honorably, the no'ker becomes disgraced and will be banished from his camp. He also loses access to the powers of his ancestral sulde until and unless he regains his liege's trust and receives an atonement spell from a kam (or a kudesnik, for Tirhan who worship Sveroch) of at least two levels higher than his no'ker level. For more on a no'ker's code of honor, see “The Yasa.”
Ancient Wyrm 01-12-05, 01:41 PM	I don't see the reason you upped the skill points to 6 per level, unless it's due to the loss of the wakizashi half of the ancestral daisho, and the fact that the spear is inferior to the katana. However, the skills probably overbalance this, as the daisho is mostly a flavor ability anyway - if you don't like what you got from it, you can just buy something else. (Availability might be a factor at higher levels, but if a character finds himself in your campaign's equivalent of Shanghai, he'll be good to go.) Those are also good class skills - the better part of a ranger plus a paladin. And the feat list is larger and the code of conduct less zealously restrictive.
slan 01-12-05, 02:25 PM	Ancient Wyrm, you must be a mind reader. Those were my reasons exactly, and also my concerns. Hopefully, others will critique this, as well. If a consensus develops on the issue of skill points and selection, I will alter the choices. Thanks for the input.