Heroes of Horror in Rokugan. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Heroes of Horror in Rokugan. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
RavenGraygem
02-28-07, 06:03 PM Got the book recently, and I like it quite a bit, particularly the expanded taint rules.

Now, I've already added the Corrupt Avenger PrC to the setting. It's not specific to any one clan, but rather represents a (very) loose organization of people willing to do whatever they have to do in order to destroy the Shadowlands, and find that the enemy's own foulness is their best weapon.

And I figure I can add the Tainted Scholar PrC without too much trouble, seeing as it started life as a heavily modified Maho-tsukai.

But where I run into trouble is the Purifier of the Hallowed Doctrine. I've looked it over, and while the abilities would be very useful, it just seems a bit to "western." (Though that could be an idea in itself; foreigners set up their own semi-covert group to handle newly-encountered taint.....)

Any advice from others who have used these successfully in Rokugan?
ted_the_mindflayer
03-01-07, 12:35 AM Hoh taint is not L5R taint so is not as apealing to convert to me.

Hmmm the tainted scholar seems an odd choice for a blood mage. Corupt avenger seems ok but could never live under the jade empire and could only live in the shadowlands if ever found out.

But that is my opinon of course, The purfier would have to be reflavored to some sort of effort to stop maho blood mages from spreading..... Hmm maybe a Usagi Purifier that investigates and hunts Maho tusaki, the hare clan seems the most gentle of all the various taint hunters.
HidaAkira
03-01-07, 09:55 AM Tainted scholar...the new Chuda. They seem very scholarly.
RavenGraygem
03-01-07, 01:05 PM Okay, interesting ideas. Now for the next question :D . Who are the Chuda and the Usagi? I'm pretty sure the latter are a sub-family of the Mantis Clan, but I've never heard of the former.

Corrupt avenger seems ok but could never live under the jade empire and could only live in the shadowlands if ever found out.

And yes, that's pretty much what I had in mind for the Corrupt Avengers. Though there are a few wrinkles I can/would add as well.

1) Though outcast by the very nature of their existence, some corrupt avengers still get a little help of the plausibly deniable variety from their former clans, in the form of information, a remote place to hide for a few days, or even equipment that the avenger can't make or buy easily.

The reasons for this could range from lingering familial feelings to a certain brutal practicality; why risk your samurai when the avengers can be used instead as effective (and disposable) shock troops instead?

2) A few corrupt avengers became what they are because their taint exposure was delibrately arranged by a scheming subordinate, family member, or rival. In addition to their other motivations, they also seek to clear their names or least get a bit of revenge on the person responsible (their exposure to the taint included a neat little plot to make the exposure seem willing and self-induced).
HidaAkira
03-02-07, 04:37 AM The Corrupt Avengers are the Damned, the elite berserkers of the Crab who become Tainted, but not Lost. They are stationed together with other Tainted and fight the Shadowlands. They are NEVER used against other Clans, only the Shadowlands (read up on them in Secrets of the Crab).

The Chuda are the reformed Snake clan. Chuda Mishime, last heir to the secrets of the extinct Snake clan, served Daigotsu and was rewarded with his own clan. They are about the most dangerous and cunning maho-tsukai since the Bloodspeakers, and fortunately spend most of their time in the Shadowlands, not in Rokugan.

The Usagi is the ruling family of the Hare clan. The Hare spend most of their time going after the Kolat, though they do some maho-tuskai/Bloodspeaker hunts as well. The Kuni tuskai-sagasu, the Asako inquisitors and the Kuroiban aren't good enough, it seems.
RavenGraygem
03-02-07, 02:06 PM I should point out that all my knowledge of Rokugan is limited to the content of Oriental Adventures and whatever freebie stuff I can find online. I'm cheap like that :) .

But thanks for the information.

The Corrupt Avengers are the Damned, the elite berserkers of the Crab who become Tainted, but not Lost. They are stationed together with other Tainted and fight the Shadowlands. They are NEVER used against other Clans, only the Shadowlands (read up on them in Secrets of the Crab).

This sounds pretty good. I'll just combine this idea and mine for the corrupt avengers.

The Chuda are the reformed Snake clan. Chuda Mishime, last heir to the secrets of the extinct Snake clan, served Daigotsu and was rewarded with his own clan. They are about the most dangerous and cunning maho-tsukai since the Bloodspeakers, and fortunately spend most of their time in the Shadowlands, not in Rokugan.

Hmmm, interesting ideas abound here. I can see tainted scholars of the Chuda as being more interested in the "practical" applications of the taint, conducting ghastly experiments with it in order to find new methods of using it.

The Usagi is the ruling family of the Hare clan. The Hare spend most of their time going after the Kolat, though they do some maho-tuskai/Bloodspeaker hunts as well. The Kuni tuskai-sagasu, the Asako inquisitors and the Kuroiban aren't good enough, it seems.

Eh, you know how it is. Everyone thinks their method is the best :P . And given the insidious nature of the taint and its adherents, can you ever really have too many people trying to sniff it out?

But the Hare I could set up as being dedicated to curing/treating tainted individuals, as opposed to simply eliminating them. And Usagi Purifiers would make great opponents of the Chuda Tainted Scholars, trying to treat those afflicted with never-before-seen types of taint while simultaneously seeking out and eliminating the source.

Thank you all for the ideas and information you've given, I truly appreciate it. And don't hesitate to reply or drop more here; up until this point, most of the ideas I've had for my campaign world were for the non-Rokugan parts, and it's nice to be able to give them some new twists at last.
ZenZ
03-02-07, 03:06 PM Can taint be applied to both eastern and western settings with equal effect?

How would such a taint be worked into a campagin?
RavenGraygem
03-02-07, 03:35 PM Yeah, it could actually. Taint was originally a facet of L5R, and when Rokugan was made the "default" setting of Oriental Adventures, a D&D/d20 version of taint was included. It was fairly basic though and had some flaws, and it was fairly heavily tied into the Rokugan setting.

Then Unearthed Arcana was put out, full of variant rules. Among them was an expanded, generic taint system. That system was then built up a little more in Heroes of Horror.

HoH offers some ideas for intergrating taint into your campaigns. If you can find a cheap copy, I suggest getting one.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread :P .

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
RavenGraygem 02-28-07, 06:03 PM	Got the book recently, and I like it quite a bit, particularly the expanded taint rules. Now, I've already added the Corrupt Avenger PrC to the setting. It's not specific to any one clan, but rather represents a (very) loose organization of people willing to do whatever they have to do in order to destroy the Shadowlands, and find that the enemy's own foulness is their best weapon. And I figure I can add the Tainted Scholar PrC without too much trouble, seeing as it started life as a heavily modified Maho-tsukai. But where I run into trouble is the Purifier of the Hallowed Doctrine. I've looked it over, and while the abilities would be very useful, it just seems a bit to "western." (Though that could be an idea in itself; foreigners set up their own semi-covert group to handle newly-encountered taint.....) Any advice from others who have used these successfully in Rokugan?
ted_the_mindflayer 03-01-07, 12:35 AM	Hoh taint is not L5R taint so is not as apealing to convert to me. Hmmm the tainted scholar seems an odd choice for a blood mage. Corupt avenger seems ok but could never live under the jade empire and could only live in the shadowlands if ever found out. But that is my opinon of course, The purfier would have to be reflavored to some sort of effort to stop maho blood mages from spreading..... Hmm maybe a Usagi Purifier that investigates and hunts Maho tusaki, the hare clan seems the most gentle of all the various taint hunters.
HidaAkira 03-01-07, 09:55 AM	Tainted scholar...the new Chuda. They seem very scholarly.
RavenGraygem 03-01-07, 01:05 PM	Okay, interesting ideas. Now for the next question :D . Who are the Chuda and the Usagi? I'm pretty sure the latter are a sub-family of the Mantis Clan, but I've never heard of the former. Corrupt avenger seems ok but could never live under the jade empire and could only live in the shadowlands if ever found out. And yes, that's pretty much what I had in mind for the Corrupt Avengers. Though there are a few wrinkles I can/would add as well. 1) Though outcast by the very nature of their existence, some corrupt avengers still get a little help of the plausibly deniable variety from their former clans, in the form of information, a remote place to hide for a few days, or even equipment that the avenger can't make or buy easily. The reasons for this could range from lingering familial feelings to a certain brutal practicality; why risk your samurai when the avengers can be used instead as effective (and disposable) shock troops instead? 2) A few corrupt avengers became what they are because their taint exposure was delibrately arranged by a scheming subordinate, family member, or rival. In addition to their other motivations, they also seek to clear their names or least get a bit of revenge on the person responsible (their exposure to the taint included a neat little plot to make the exposure seem willing and self-induced).
HidaAkira 03-02-07, 04:37 AM	The Corrupt Avengers are the Damned, the elite berserkers of the Crab who become Tainted, but not Lost. They are stationed together with other Tainted and fight the Shadowlands. They are NEVER used against other Clans, only the Shadowlands (read up on them in Secrets of the Crab). The Chuda are the reformed Snake clan. Chuda Mishime, last heir to the secrets of the extinct Snake clan, served Daigotsu and was rewarded with his own clan. They are about the most dangerous and cunning maho-tsukai since the Bloodspeakers, and fortunately spend most of their time in the Shadowlands, not in Rokugan. The Usagi is the ruling family of the Hare clan. The Hare spend most of their time going after the Kolat, though they do some maho-tuskai/Bloodspeaker hunts as well. The Kuni tuskai-sagasu, the Asako inquisitors and the Kuroiban aren't good enough, it seems.
RavenGraygem 03-02-07, 02:06 PM	I should point out that all my knowledge of Rokugan is limited to the content of Oriental Adventures and whatever freebie stuff I can find online. I'm cheap like that :) . But thanks for the information. The Corrupt Avengers are the Damned, the elite berserkers of the Crab who become Tainted, but not Lost. They are stationed together with other Tainted and fight the Shadowlands. They are NEVER used against other Clans, only the Shadowlands (read up on them in Secrets of the Crab). This sounds pretty good. I'll just combine this idea and mine for the corrupt avengers. The Chuda are the reformed Snake clan. Chuda Mishime, last heir to the secrets of the extinct Snake clan, served Daigotsu and was rewarded with his own clan. They are about the most dangerous and cunning maho-tsukai since the Bloodspeakers, and fortunately spend most of their time in the Shadowlands, not in Rokugan. Hmmm, interesting ideas abound here. I can see tainted scholars of the Chuda as being more interested in the "practical" applications of the taint, conducting ghastly experiments with it in order to find new methods of using it. The Usagi is the ruling family of the Hare clan. The Hare spend most of their time going after the Kolat, though they do some maho-tuskai/Bloodspeaker hunts as well. The Kuni tuskai-sagasu, the Asako inquisitors and the Kuroiban aren't good enough, it seems. Eh, you know how it is. Everyone thinks their method is the best :P . And given the insidious nature of the taint and its adherents, can you ever really have too many people trying to sniff it out? But the Hare I could set up as being dedicated to curing/treating tainted individuals, as opposed to simply eliminating them. And Usagi Purifiers would make great opponents of the Chuda Tainted Scholars, trying to treat those afflicted with never-before-seen types of taint while simultaneously seeking out and eliminating the source. Thank you all for the ideas and information you've given, I truly appreciate it. And don't hesitate to reply or drop more here; up until this point, most of the ideas I've had for my campaign world were for the non-Rokugan parts, and it's nice to be able to give them some new twists at last.
ZenZ 03-02-07, 03:06 PM	Can taint be applied to both eastern and western settings with equal effect? How would such a taint be worked into a campagin?
RavenGraygem 03-02-07, 03:35 PM	Yeah, it could actually. Taint was originally a facet of L5R, and when Rokugan was made the "default" setting of Oriental Adventures, a D&D/d20 version of taint was included. It was fairly basic though and had some flaws, and it was fairly heavily tied into the Rokugan setting. Then Unearthed Arcana was put out, full of variant rules. Among them was an expanded, generic taint system. That system was then built up a little more in Heroes of Horror. HoH offers some ideas for intergrating taint into your campaigns. If you can find a cheap copy, I suggest getting one. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread :P .