I get a weird feeling from the addition of Jians, Dao and Hook swords, which are typically Chinese martial arts weapons.

Are they trying to sneak in some oriental adventures feeling?

Read the Kiho section and I think you'll definitely see a strong Wuxia theme going on there. But then Rokugan was always something of a mishmash of East Asian cultures (Mongolia, China, Japan, Korea, and even Thailand). Yes, mostly Japanese, but, I mean, come on....Fu Leng?

I know hook swords were part of Book of Water don’t recall if the others where introduced before. Maybe it’s something that the Unicorn brought from their travels...

42 minutes ago, Nitenman said:

I get a weird feeling from the addition of Jians, Dao and Hook swords, which are typically Chinese martial arts weapons.

Are they trying to sneak in some oriental adventures feeling?

The Togashi were always wuxai monks ported (mistakenly or not) into a Japanese style setting. They now have their weapons.

well, they already had unarmed, jo, bo, bisento, peasant weapons for simple monks. And Togashi monks, like Asako monks are samurai so could also carry wakizashi or full Daisho. No real need for wushu weapons.

Also I disagree. Togashi are Rokugani monks, but nothing particularly Wuxia in them. Mentality is closer to a Yamabushi, but with tattoo. Been like that since 1st ed.

Dude, they absolutely where wuxia since their inception.

I particularly love that they finally are giving due support for more eastern weapons and styles.

1 hour ago, Mirumoto Saito said:

Dude, they absolutely where wuxia since their ...

Ok, so what according to you makes them really Wuxia?

I'd consider militant shinseist monks more Wuxia than the Togashi. More akin to monks you would find in Shaw brothers or old Golden harvest movies.

if martial arts and meditating under a mountain waterfall is Wuxia, then every warrior monk in fiction is Wuxia.

I'd even say the real Wuxia monks are the Asako Henshin, their techniques being close to internal alchemy.

I think a certain degree of homogenisation of eastern history and mythology is essential to create mechanical and social diversity. While I fully expect to be rocking around with my vanilla katana, the fact that others can equip more interestingly means that at least I won't be a clone of my five mates.

I was always a big fan of the mongol direction of the Unicorn (in first edition they used gaijin straight swords not scimitars and prefer the latter thematically). This has meant that Phoenix can now use the older straight swords and gives the two clans unique styles.

As for non-Japanese influences in the game: we've had Fu Leng since forever. The guy could be called Jones and it would still be as Japanese as Fu Leng.

Indeed. I approached at first 5th ed with my old mindset from previous eds really steeped into Kurosawa and Jidai Geki influence. It slowly changes to adapt...

So maybe these weapons have their places. But not in the hands of monks. If monks can run around carrying swords in all impunity (non samurai families monks of course) it becomes a social problem.

But I see indeed a bandit lord bearing a Dao, And Jian would be relics of the dawn of the Empire. Even in Wuxia, the sword is most often the weapon of the Xia.

12 hours ago, Nitenman said:

Ok, so what according to you makes them really Wuxia?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccmava-4KnY

By 4E Rules, that fight scene can only be done by Togashi Tattooed Monks.

well in Crouching tiger... The wudang monk Li Mubai doesn't strike me as an Ise Zumi...and other warriors dancing on three tops are laymen trained at wudang, not monks.

This fight scene could have been done by: Militant Shugenja, any brotherhood monk with Kiho, Asako Henshin with Kiho, even Shinobi with Kiho if you house rule it.

I don't deny the Wuxia influences on L5R as a whole, but nothing makes the Togashi in particular more Wuxia than the rest of Rokugan.

4 hours ago, Radon Antila said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccmava-4KnY

By 4E Rules, that fight scene can only be done by Togashi Tattooed Monks.

Unless you mistyped '5e beta', that's pretty clearly extensive use of kiho by Brotherhood monks ...