Samurai in Faerun [Archive] - Wizards Community

Samurai in Faerun [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkestDragonofHell
11-30-03, 03:15 PM What kind of place do Samurai have in Faerun?
Weaver95
11-30-03, 03:22 PM In my campaign - none. Kara-tur dosen't exist, you just wrap around the map and end up on the Sword Coast looking very confused.

In Officaldom, I would assume that they'd exist in Kara-Tur in sworn service to thier dyamo. But i'm not any sort of expert on the Eastern stuff so take that with a grain of salt.
Wooly Rupert
11-30-03, 03:29 PM There's some Shou living in Thesk, in the Unapproachable East. You could have some samurai there... Otherwise, they'd all be in the Kara-Tur. Shou Lung, T'u Lung, Wa, and Kozakura are the nations of the Kara-Tur.
The Last Guardian
11-30-03, 06:13 PM I just replace kara-tur with Rokugan, there is tons of stuff out for it. I just have to twik the map alittle so all the clans are arranged properly.
Wooly Rupert
11-30-03, 08:12 PM There's also tons of stuff for Kara-Tur, it's just that it's not been updated for 3e.
Ranger REG
12-01-03, 12:22 AM Originally posted by DarkestDragonofHell

What kind of place do Samurai have in Faerun?
Ronin, perhaps working as merchant's bodyguards traveling on the Golden Way (FR equivalent of the famous Silk Road). They probably have no reason to stay in the East, so they travel elsewhere.

Otherwise, they're probably visiting Faerun to report back to their clan daimyo or Emperor in one of two island nations in the easternmost part of Kara-Tur, Kozakura or Wa. A privileged individual of the buke class may also be assigned to learn things that would have been strictly taboo to the public, like Western Medicine, so to aid the kuge and buke social classes.
Cernunnos
12-01-03, 01:27 AM They'd probably be more prevalent in the Eastern Realms, like alot of people said, near the Golden Way. I also imagine that due to sea trade/gates you could probably find a few in the larger metropolitan cities (Waterdeep comes to mind).
badmojo
12-03-03, 11:27 AM In the Rokugan handbook it says that the Unicorn clan are the only ones to actually go over the Spine of the World. Thus they are considered barbarians by the other clans but they would be the only one in FR.
I'm a Rokugan-aholic.:teach:
Fredegar The White
12-03-03, 11:55 AM In FR samurai live in Kara Tur but since there are the great steppes between them samurai IMHO are if not very very rare
then very rare. The Shou are more like the medieval Chinese without the Empire thingi!
the_heart
12-04-03, 11:00 AM in all likelihood there are also kara-turan embassies in larger cities throughout the realms, one was mentioned in one of the novels; in westgate i believe(ruha vs the blackdragon,can't remember the title) so a samurai could be attatched to one of those, maybe temporarily assigned to the local government to assist, in return for political favours?
Savras
12-05-03, 05:32 AM Originally posted by badmojo
In the Rokugan handbook it says that the Unicorn clan are the only ones to actually go over the Spine of the World. Thus they are considered barbarians by the other clans but they would be the only one in FR.
I'm a Rokugan-aholic.:teach:
Errr... no.
Rokugan and FR has nothing with each other.
They most certainly do not share the same planet.

Savras
badmojo
12-05-03, 03:16 PM Originally posted by Savras
Errr... no.
Rokugan and FR has nothing with each other.
They most certainly do not share the same planet.

In the clan guide it stated that they were the only clan to go over the Spine of the World. I took it as the Spine of the World from FR, that is how I run my campaign.

If it is a different set of mountains, which it probably is then it is a mistake on my part.
Ranger REG
12-06-03, 01:47 AM AFAIC, Rokugan is not part of FR as Waterdeep is not part of Kingdom of Kalamar.

Kara-Tur is the de facto Asian-Flavored Eastern Realms, which includes among other things, pseudo-Japan (Kozakura and Wa), pseudo-China (Shou Lung and Tu Lung), pseudo-Korea (Koryo), and pseudo-Tibet (Tabot).

The folks at AEG have yet to expand beyond the borders of Rokugan with such rich material information, besides the Burning Sands.

HOWEVER, it is rumored that Theah (7th Sea, Swashbuckling Adventures) and Rokugan exist on the same world.
Cernunnos
12-06-03, 01:51 AM Two totally different worlds. They both have mountain ranges called the Spine of the World though. In Forgotten Realms, these mountains run East-West in the far north of the continent of Faerun, in Kara-Tur, they run North-South in the west of Rokugan, and on the other side is a middle-eastern style realm (detailed in the Legend of the Burning Sands card game, which may eventually be turned into an rpg, if demand gets high enough).

Of course, I know alot of people who have replaced Kara-Tur with Rokugan in their Forgotten Realms campaigns. Its not "canon," but as the DM you can do anything you want. It doesn't help that WotC and TSR haven't written anything on Kara-Tur in over a decade (but at least the new Dragon will have an article on ancestor feats and martial arts styles of Kara-Tur).
Ranger REG
12-06-03, 01:58 AM Hmm. I wonder if just one article is going to tide us FR/Kara-Tur fans over until something more fruitful (in the form of a published supplement) comes along. I mean, will that be enough?
Baron Phylos
12-06-03, 04:09 PM The equivalent to medieval Japan(Ninjas, Samurai etc.) in the FR are the Islands of Wa and Kozakura, both off the east coast of Kara-Tur.

The rest of Kara-Tur more or less reflects earth's asian continent in the division of territories and cultures. Equivalents to medieval Chinese, Korean, Indian, Hun, Mongols cultures etc. are all there.

There are a couple free downloads on WotC's site of 2e OA adventures set in Wa I think, Test of the Samurai(TSR9258) is one of them. Nice maps of Kara-tur are included in them.
Daybreaker
12-07-03, 07:35 PM In my own campaign, the Emperor of Anastacia (the empire that resulted when an ancestor managed to unite the city-states of the Moonsea) embarked on a bunch of Big Projects, one of which was a massive railroad that goes back and forth to Kara-Tur. Wa and Shou are the two cultures that have made 'colonies' in the west. Shou has taken over much of Zhentil Keep's old digs, and Wa has established a settlement in that swampy land just south of the Moonsea, on the eastern side of the river.

It's from that Wa settlement that you get your occasional Samurai or Ninja.
Green Giant
12-08-03, 12:22 AM I'm kinda curious as to how the Kara-turans arrived in the Moonsea. Was it by magic (ie portals)? If not, it staggers the mind as to how the initial invasion must have been like. The time it must have taken, the planning and the glorious battles along the way.

Fantasizing: A hundred thousand warriors marching through the Golden Way, having to keep their flanks and supply lines well protected from the Tuigans. Then there's the initial reaction once the army makes it to the UE. Fierce battles in Thesk, Thay and Rashemen before eventually continuing on to the Sea of Fallen Stars. Ferrying across the Easting Reach to Impiltur, then traveling toward the Vast. There must have been some sort of check at this point to force them to go northward before settling in the Moonsea.

It could be done but it would be very costly and dangerous especially going over land. Amn has enough trouble with its colony in Maztica, I can just imagine the lines of communication and questions of loyalty the home countries of Shou Lung and Wa have of their colonies
captainharlock
12-08-03, 02:44 AM Originally posted by Ranger REG
Hmm. I wonder if just one article is going to tide us FR/Kara-Tur fans over until something more fruitful (in the form of a published supplement) comes along. I mean, will that be enough?

It will have to do. With James Wyatt pushing Rokugan as the oriental D20 world, Kara-Tur will never be looked at seriously by WotC
Ranger REG
12-08-03, 04:00 AM Actually, if you look at his web site, James Wyatt favored his Indian-flavored Mahasarpa campaign. He even provided a campaign primer as web enhancement for use with the new OA ruleset.
Cernunnos
12-08-03, 09:46 PM I still maintain that if WotC could be talked into doing a 3.5 OA, they might (emphasis on might) be talked into using Kara-Tur. But I'm certainly not holding my breath. Frankly, the only stuff I want to know of is what happened during the Time of Troubles, and what has happened politically since then.
The Heretic
12-09-03, 12:40 AM If you look at the samurai as an 'oriental' class, then the place for it is definitely kara-tur.

but in theory, a samurai could be anywhere a fractious set of nobles live that need dedicated warriors.

Cormyr for instance.
Cthulhu
12-09-03, 04:32 AM I was thinking of generating a Samurai character (Complete Warrior version) as a Dwarven HonorAxe. Fights with Battle Axe and warhammer. The Samurai otherwise works great for dwarven culture.
Katowice
12-09-03, 09:37 AM If you need some ideas, the free download of TSR's mercenary supplement, Forgotten Realms: Gold & Glory, has a samurai group in Faerun called the Bushido. Check on p. 24.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/2/fr_downloads/tsr9373.zip

"Inspired by western contact during the Horde Wars, this corps is learning about Realms cultures and hopes to report back to Kara-Tur. It contains 60 heavy infantry, 60 medium calvary, and 60 mounted archers.

"The samurai Noro Amoto, a 10th-level fighter, raised the Bushido to defend the lands of Kara-Tur against the Horde. After fighting well, his men kept marching west."

You'll have to download the file to get the rest.
Ranger REG
12-09-03, 01:27 PM Originally posted by The Heretic

Cormyr for instance.
Nah. Cormyr have Purple Dragons, Purple Dragon Knights, Cavalier, Duelist, Swashbuckler (like the Cormyrean Freesails), etc., but not Samurai (unless there is an embassy from Wa and/or Kozakura).
The Heretic
12-09-03, 06:06 PM Purple Dragons are loyal to the Crown, but as we all know, many of the nobles are now in open rebellion.

This is a circumstance that exactly matches the conditions that occurred in the Age of the Country at War in Japan, which was the Golden Age of the Samurai.

These nobles will want skilled warriors that are fanatically loyal to them to defend their lands, and push an unwanted authority figure out.

obviously samurai is an oriental term... just re-name it for campaign purposes. Just like Wizards are usually called Mages in FR.

Also, if you reference the Pool of Radiance novel, you will find that Shal Bal of Cormyr had dealings with the isle of Wa in order to get spell components. There are other sources that show Kara-Turan influences in Cormyr, especially after that whole Horde thing.

I'm not saying that I'm doing it in my campaign, I'm just saying that its possible.
Ranger REG
12-10-03, 02:18 AM Originally posted by The Heretic

obviously samurai is an oriental term... just re-name it for campaign purposes. Just like Wizards are usually called Mages in FR.
If you are referring to the CW version, I gotta tell you. Upon looking at the class, my initial thought is, "Did they get the name wrong? Isn't this supposed to be the Tempest class from Masters of the Wild?"

With the exception of the Asian-flavored name like "Samurai" and "Daisho," it is every bit a Tempest class.

Tell me I'm not the only one who got that.
JessiLaurn
12-10-03, 07:51 PM Folks, the current issue of Dragon (#315) has a nice little overview of Kara-Tur, with ancestor feats and martial arts styles. And yes, it mentions Samurai as the favored class for both Wa and Kozakura.
Ranger REG
12-11-03, 01:02 AM We know. That's why I made a comment about the article earlier. I just recently acquired my magazine (purchased at my FLGS) and I gotta give the article by James Wyatt a thumbs up.

I am a bit confused by the Skill paragraphs though. Is it a favored skill or by that background (chosen by the player for their character) do we get that one skill as a class skill? Do we get it as a PERMANENT class skill?

BTW, just in case you didn't noticed, there is a sidebar on the editorial (p. 6) stating that the April [2004] issue of Dragon will have a 3.5e update of Oriental Adventures with a bonus article about Kara-Tur.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkestDragonofHell 11-30-03, 03:15 PM	What kind of place do Samurai have in Faerun?
Weaver95 11-30-03, 03:22 PM	In my campaign - none. Kara-tur dosen't exist, you just wrap around the map and end up on the Sword Coast looking very confused. In Officaldom, I would assume that they'd exist in Kara-Tur in sworn service to thier dyamo. But i'm not any sort of expert on the Eastern stuff so take that with a grain of salt.
Wooly Rupert 11-30-03, 03:29 PM	There's some Shou living in Thesk, in the Unapproachable East. You could have some samurai there... Otherwise, they'd all be in the Kara-Tur. Shou Lung, T'u Lung, Wa, and Kozakura are the nations of the Kara-Tur.
The Last Guardian 11-30-03, 06:13 PM	I just replace kara-tur with Rokugan, there is tons of stuff out for it. I just have to twik the map alittle so all the clans are arranged properly.
Wooly Rupert 11-30-03, 08:12 PM	There's also tons of stuff for Kara-Tur, it's just that it's not been updated for 3e.
Ranger REG 12-01-03, 12:22 AM	Originally posted by DarkestDragonofHell What kind of place do Samurai have in Faerun? Ronin, perhaps working as merchant's bodyguards traveling on the Golden Way (FR equivalent of the famous Silk Road). They probably have no reason to stay in the East, so they travel elsewhere. Otherwise, they're probably visiting Faerun to report back to their clan daimyo or Emperor in one of two island nations in the easternmost part of Kara-Tur, Kozakura or Wa. A privileged individual of the buke class may also be assigned to learn things that would have been strictly taboo to the public, like Western Medicine, so to aid the kuge and buke social classes.
Cernunnos 12-01-03, 01:27 AM	They'd probably be more prevalent in the Eastern Realms, like alot of people said, near the Golden Way. I also imagine that due to sea trade/gates you could probably find a few in the larger metropolitan cities (Waterdeep comes to mind).
badmojo 12-03-03, 11:27 AM	In the Rokugan handbook it says that the Unicorn clan are the only ones to actually go over the Spine of the World. Thus they are considered barbarians by the other clans but they would be the only one in FR. I'm a Rokugan-aholic.:teach:
Fredegar The White 12-03-03, 11:55 AM	In FR samurai live in Kara Tur but since there are the great steppes between them samurai IMHO are if not very very rare then very rare. The Shou are more like the medieval Chinese without the Empire thingi!
the_heart 12-04-03, 11:00 AM	in all likelihood there are also kara-turan embassies in larger cities throughout the realms, one was mentioned in one of the novels; in westgate i believe(ruha vs the blackdragon,can't remember the title) so a samurai could be attatched to one of those, maybe temporarily assigned to the local government to assist, in return for political favours?
Savras 12-05-03, 05:32 AM	Originally posted by badmojo In the Rokugan handbook it says that the Unicorn clan are the only ones to actually go over the Spine of the World. Thus they are considered barbarians by the other clans but they would be the only one in FR. I'm a Rokugan-aholic.:teach: Errr... no. Rokugan and FR has nothing with each other. They most certainly do not share the same planet. Savras
badmojo 12-05-03, 03:16 PM	Originally posted by Savras Errr... no. Rokugan and FR has nothing with each other. They most certainly do not share the same planet. In the clan guide it stated that they were the only clan to go over the Spine of the World. I took it as the Spine of the World from FR, that is how I run my campaign. If it is a different set of mountains, which it probably is then it is a mistake on my part.
Ranger REG 12-06-03, 01:47 AM	AFAIC, Rokugan is not part of FR as Waterdeep is not part of Kingdom of Kalamar. Kara-Tur is the de facto Asian-Flavored Eastern Realms, which includes among other things, pseudo-Japan (Kozakura and Wa), pseudo-China (Shou Lung and Tu Lung), pseudo-Korea (Koryo), and pseudo-Tibet (Tabot). The folks at AEG have yet to expand beyond the borders of Rokugan with such rich material information, besides the Burning Sands. HOWEVER, it is rumored that Theah (7th Sea, Swashbuckling Adventures) and Rokugan exist on the same world.
Cernunnos 12-06-03, 01:51 AM	Two totally different worlds. They both have mountain ranges called the Spine of the World though. In Forgotten Realms, these mountains run East-West in the far north of the continent of Faerun, in Kara-Tur, they run North-South in the west of Rokugan, and on the other side is a middle-eastern style realm (detailed in the Legend of the Burning Sands card game, which may eventually be turned into an rpg, if demand gets high enough). Of course, I know alot of people who have replaced Kara-Tur with Rokugan in their Forgotten Realms campaigns. Its not "canon," but as the DM you can do anything you want. It doesn't help that WotC and TSR haven't written anything on Kara-Tur in over a decade (but at least the new Dragon will have an article on ancestor feats and martial arts styles of Kara-Tur).
Ranger REG 12-06-03, 01:58 AM	Hmm. I wonder if just one article is going to tide us FR/Kara-Tur fans over until something more fruitful (in the form of a published supplement) comes along. I mean, will that be enough?
Baron Phylos 12-06-03, 04:09 PM	The equivalent to medieval Japan(Ninjas, Samurai etc.) in the FR are the Islands of Wa and Kozakura, both off the east coast of Kara-Tur. The rest of Kara-Tur more or less reflects earth's asian continent in the division of territories and cultures. Equivalents to medieval Chinese, Korean, Indian, Hun, Mongols cultures etc. are all there. There are a couple free downloads on WotC's site of 2e OA adventures set in Wa I think, Test of the Samurai(TSR9258) is one of them. Nice maps of Kara-tur are included in them.
Daybreaker 12-07-03, 07:35 PM	In my own campaign, the Emperor of Anastacia (the empire that resulted when an ancestor managed to unite the city-states of the Moonsea) embarked on a bunch of Big Projects, one of which was a massive railroad that goes back and forth to Kara-Tur. Wa and Shou are the two cultures that have made 'colonies' in the west. Shou has taken over much of Zhentil Keep's old digs, and Wa has established a settlement in that swampy land just south of the Moonsea, on the eastern side of the river. It's from that Wa settlement that you get your occasional Samurai or Ninja.
Green Giant 12-08-03, 12:22 AM	I'm kinda curious as to how the Kara-turans arrived in the Moonsea. Was it by magic (ie portals)? If not, it staggers the mind as to how the initial invasion must have been like. The time it must have taken, the planning and the glorious battles along the way. Fantasizing: A hundred thousand warriors marching through the Golden Way, having to keep their flanks and supply lines well protected from the Tuigans. Then there's the initial reaction once the army makes it to the UE. Fierce battles in Thesk, Thay and Rashemen before eventually continuing on to the Sea of Fallen Stars. Ferrying across the Easting Reach to Impiltur, then traveling toward the Vast. There must have been some sort of check at this point to force them to go northward before settling in the Moonsea. It could be done but it would be very costly and dangerous especially going over land. Amn has enough trouble with its colony in Maztica, I can just imagine the lines of communication and questions of loyalty the home countries of Shou Lung and Wa have of their colonies
captainharlock 12-08-03, 02:44 AM	Originally posted by Ranger REG Hmm. I wonder if just one article is going to tide us FR/Kara-Tur fans over until something more fruitful (in the form of a published supplement) comes along. I mean, will that be enough? It will have to do. With James Wyatt pushing Rokugan as the oriental D20 world, Kara-Tur will never be looked at seriously by WotC
Ranger REG 12-08-03, 04:00 AM	Actually, if you look at his web site, James Wyatt favored his Indian-flavored Mahasarpa campaign. He even provided a campaign primer as web enhancement for use with the new OA ruleset.
Cernunnos 12-08-03, 09:46 PM	I still maintain that if WotC could be talked into doing a 3.5 OA, they might (emphasis on might) be talked into using Kara-Tur. But I'm certainly not holding my breath. Frankly, the only stuff I want to know of is what happened during the Time of Troubles, and what has happened politically since then.
The Heretic 12-09-03, 12:40 AM	If you look at the samurai as an 'oriental' class, then the place for it is definitely kara-tur. but in theory, a samurai could be anywhere a fractious set of nobles live that need dedicated warriors. Cormyr for instance.
Cthulhu 12-09-03, 04:32 AM	I was thinking of generating a Samurai character (Complete Warrior version) as a Dwarven HonorAxe. Fights with Battle Axe and warhammer. The Samurai otherwise works great for dwarven culture.
Katowice 12-09-03, 09:37 AM	If you need some ideas, the free download of TSR's mercenary supplement, Forgotten Realms: Gold & Glory, has a samurai group in Faerun called the Bushido. Check on p. 24. http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/2/fr_downloads/tsr9373.zip "Inspired by western contact during the Horde Wars, this corps is learning about Realms cultures and hopes to report back to Kara-Tur. It contains 60 heavy infantry, 60 medium calvary, and 60 mounted archers. "The samurai Noro Amoto, a 10th-level fighter, raised the Bushido to defend the lands of Kara-Tur against the Horde. After fighting well, his men kept marching west." You'll have to download the file to get the rest.
Ranger REG 12-09-03, 01:27 PM	Originally posted by The Heretic Cormyr for instance. Nah. Cormyr have Purple Dragons, Purple Dragon Knights, Cavalier, Duelist, Swashbuckler (like the Cormyrean Freesails), etc., but not Samurai (unless there is an embassy from Wa and/or Kozakura).
The Heretic 12-09-03, 06:06 PM	Purple Dragons are loyal to the Crown, but as we all know, many of the nobles are now in open rebellion. This is a circumstance that exactly matches the conditions that occurred in the Age of the Country at War in Japan, which was the Golden Age of the Samurai. These nobles will want skilled warriors that are fanatically loyal to them to defend their lands, and push an unwanted authority figure out. obviously samurai is an oriental term... just re-name it for campaign purposes. Just like Wizards are usually called Mages in FR. Also, if you reference the Pool of Radiance novel, you will find that Shal Bal of Cormyr had dealings with the isle of Wa in order to get spell components. There are other sources that show Kara-Turan influences in Cormyr, especially after that whole Horde thing. I'm not saying that I'm doing it in my campaign, I'm just saying that its possible.
Ranger REG 12-10-03, 02:18 AM	Originally posted by The Heretic obviously samurai is an oriental term... just re-name it for campaign purposes. Just like Wizards are usually called Mages in FR. If you are referring to the CW version, I gotta tell you. Upon looking at the class, my initial thought is, "Did they get the name wrong? Isn't this supposed to be the Tempest class from Masters of the Wild?" With the exception of the Asian-flavored name like "Samurai" and "Daisho," it is every bit a Tempest class. Tell me I'm not the only one who got that.
JessiLaurn 12-10-03, 07:51 PM	Folks, the current issue of Dragon (#315) has a nice little overview of Kara-Tur, with ancestor feats and martial arts styles. And yes, it mentions Samurai as the favored class for both Wa and Kozakura.
Ranger REG 12-11-03, 01:02 AM	We know. That's why I made a comment about the article earlier. I just recently acquired my magazine (purchased at my FLGS) and I gotta give the article by James Wyatt a thumbs up. I am a bit confused by the Skill paragraphs though. Is it a favored skill or by that background (chosen by the player for their character) do we get that one skill as a class skill? Do we get it as a PERMANENT class skill? BTW, just in case you didn't noticed, there is a sidebar on the editorial (p. 6) stating that the April [2004] issue of Dragon will have a 3.5e update of Oriental Adventures with a bonus article about Kara-Tur.