54 minutes ago, shosuko said:

The Agasha are a bit unique in that, while they have more affinity to Fire in the first book, they developed "multi-element" magic blending nature, chemistry, and the kami together. Here is some good reading

And what did the Phoenix do with that amazing skillset when they got it, you may ask?

Not a hell of a lot.

If I'm being honest my greatest(but not only) professional skill, which has served me well for nearly 10 years, is to look a lot busier and important than I actually am and to not only stretch 1 hours work into 4, but to have the guy at the other end thank me that it didn't take 8 this time.

SO, I must literally be a Doji or Shosuro Courtier. And trust me, there is no difference betwixt them except Crane lies.

51 minutes ago, Mandalore525 said:

So from what Kitsu Seinosuke said, it sounds like kami or certain elements are drawn to people with certain personality traits? Is there a rhyme or reason to which elements go with which personality, or is it more like if you have an interesting personality then a kami might find you more interesting to follow around? I personally would like to think I'd be a fire shugenja--because, you know, burninating stuff is fun. But maybe fire kami aren't *actually* the type of kami who would want to follow someone like me around?

Kami are drawn to traits based upon which element that trait thematically belongs to. The L5R RPG has nine traits, which are divided among the elements as follows:

Air - Reflexes, Awareness

Earth - Stamina, Willpower

Fire - Agility, Intelligence

Water - Strength, Perception

Void - Void

A person who is both agile and intelligent is fire-like, magically speaking: they literally have more fire in their soul, and are said to have a high Fire ring. This means that they can commune with fire spirits more powerfully and more often.

You'll notice that in each pair of traits, the first is something associated with bushi and the second is something associated with courtiers. This is intentional: each element is something that spans both the mind and the body. One cannot neglect either if one wishes to reach enlightenment.

Shugenja schools typically focus on one element, but individuals within that school will also diversify depending upon their personal strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Agasha school teaches Fire but there will be individual shugenja who are also inclined to Earth or Air. Very few shugenja will focus purely on one element.

17 hours ago, Kitsu Seinosuke said:

Kami are drawn to traits based upon which element that trait thematically belongs to. The L5R RPG has nine traits, which are divided among the elements as follows:

Air - Reflexes, Awareness

Earth - Stamina, Willpower

Fire - Agility, Intelligence

Water - Strength, Perception

Void - Void

A person who is both agile and intelligent is fire-like, magically speaking: they literally have more fire in their soul, and are said to have a high Fire ring. This means that they can commune with fire spirits more powerfully and more often.

You'll notice that in each pair of traits, the first is something associated with bushi and the second is something associated with courtiers. This is intentional: each element is something that spans both the mind and the body. One cannot neglect either if one wishes to reach enlightenment.

Shugenja schools typically focus on one element, but individuals within that school will also diversify depending upon their personal strengths and weaknesses. For example, the Agasha school teaches Fire but there will be individual shugenja who are also inclined to Earth or Air. Very few shugenja will focus purely on one element.

Thanks for the explanation. Well, I don't think I'd have a problem being a Fire shugenja then--I was worried I'd have to have a "fiery" personality, but I guess Rokugan associates different traits with the elements than our culture does (which is refreshing, in a way). Then again, if I were a Shugenja I suppose the spirit would choose ME, not the other way around...

You're very welcome.

A "fiery" personality is something that some people will roleplay, even if it isn't mechanically required. However, remember that there are lots of different ways to view fire. Being explosive and destructive is one way of viewing it and some kami are like that. Others might focus on other aspects of fire: being warm and supportive to one's family, or on providing light in the darkness, or even on metallurgy.

Have fun!