Beta Update

By Magnus Grendel, in Proofreading

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“At the GM’s discretion, all players in a game my choose the first result, the second result, or both results.”

May, not my.

Some other points:

Expose à Strength or Weakness: “reduce the TN of of all scheme action checks by the character” - it was already the case in the original text, but it is not mentioned by how much the TN should be decreased. I am assuming 1. Also, duplicate “of”.

Several sentences in the description still only refer to weakness - should we add “or strength”?

Finally, should there be a provision that the (dis)advantage should not be blatantly obvious? Seems like a free win to “reveal” your Lost Arm or Maimed Visage...

Extra item in question 16 (character creation): rarity 7 or less, no restriction on the type... so anyone can start with a plated armor?

Martial skills Air opportunities (table 3-19): “in a conflict, if this the next time you inflict...” - typo: “if this” to be removed.

Kakita duelist starting technique: as some other people mentioned, we should indicate what they get in lieu of Iaijutsu.

Iaijutsu duel (first blood): “a character must forfeit 5 glory...” - should be honor instead, I think.

16 minutes ago, Franwax said:

Iaijutsu duel (first blood): “a character must forfeit 5 glory...” - should be honor instead, I think.

I believe the glory loss without an honor loss is intentional there.

Killing your foe in an Iaijutsu duel to the first blood is unusual and frowned upon, but not technically outside the bounds of honor;

A first blood cut that kills is not dishonorable. It just implies that you lack control.

Using false courtesy, empty sincerity, weak courage, or misplaced righteousness by entering a first blood duel to kill someone should be dinged honour, unless the definitions of Bushido have changed that much.

7 minutes ago, BitRunr said:

Using false courtesy, empty sincerity, weak courage, or misplaced righteousness by entering a first blood duel to kill someone should be dinged honour, unless the definitions of Bushido have changed that much.

Things have changed from old L5R. First Blood duels are now duels you might get killed in. The old First Blood duels are now First Strike duels. The new First Blood duels are duels where you can be expected to end up injured, maimed or even dead.

The glory hit is there to penalize using effects such as Iaijutsu Cut: Rising Blade's ** opportunity, Way of the Crane and keeping to bonus successes to turn non-kill Finishing Blows into killing Finishing Blows not prevent killing blows from happening.

Unmasking options, Compromise:

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This might be bending their moral code, or it might be fleeing from a terrifying situation or foe.

The bolded part is redundant because there is a whole Unmasking option for it (Panicked Flight).

2 hours ago, Ultimatecalibur said:

A first blood cut that kills is not dishonorable. It just implies that you lack control.

"It was to first blood!"

"It was."

"You decapitated him!"

"So? There was a lot of first blood..."

3 hours ago, Ultimatecalibur said:

I believe the glory loss without an honor loss is intentional there.

A first blood cut that kills is not dishonorable. It just implies that you lack control.

The text with the glory loss refers to the case where you “intentionally kill your foe” though, not due to lack of control, but because you meant to do it. In keeping with the other dueling types, I still think there should be an honor loss in that case, and potential glory loss to boot if there were witnesses I guess.

If it’s an “honest mistake”, sure, I’m with you. No honor hit but glory loss for being a ham fisted brute.

5 hours ago, Franwax said:

The text with the glory loss refers to the case where you “intentionally kill your foe” though, not due to lack of control, but because you meant to do it. In keeping with the other dueling types, I still think there should be an honor loss in that case, and potential glory loss to boot if there were witnesses I guess.

If it’s an “honest mistake”, sure, I’m with you. No honor hit but glory loss for being a ham fisted brute.

Going in to the duel both participants know that they may die in a duel to the first blood and rather it is easy to get a kill mechanically in a no fault way.

A Finishing Blow with a Katana on or by an enraged participant will inflict an Agonizing Death (12 severity). Even if resisted or if a participant is not enraged the strike can kill if it hits an existing scar (usually based on stance).

The following are some of the frowned on but not dishonorable actions in a duel to first blood that trigger the glory loss:

  • Keeping enough bonus successes to push a Finishing Blow to 12+.
  • Using the ** opportunity of Iaijutsu Cut:Rising Blade to boost Finishing Blow by the targets current strife (5+).
  • Using Way of the Crane to boost the severity of a Critical strike to 12+.
  • Using the Air* opportunity on a Critical Strike an existing injury.
  • Intentionally using a Katana enhanced by an Air* Smithing opportunity (deadliness 6) in a Finishing Blow.
Edited by Ultimatecalibur

Is the update availible and I just missed it?

This sometime-shinobi won't comment on honor or glory. Instead, he'll point out typos to maintain his cover:

  1. In the first paragraph of "Example Ways of Unmasking," "now best" should be "how best."
  2. Under First Aid on page 4, "target heals" should be "the target heals."
  3. In the first paragraph under "Treatment," delete the "character" before "convalescing character."
  4. In the description for Iaijutsu Cut: Horizontal Blade, "reac" should be "reach."
  5. In the new opportunity for "Striking as Air" on page 4, change the "and" in "plus and additional 1 per..." to "an."
  6. In the new entry for "Cumbersome," replace the "check" in "and other check to maneuver" with "checks."
  7. In the first paragraph under "terms of the Duel," replace the "an" in "break the terms of an duel" with "a."
  8. In the parenthetical for Warrior's Duel, "to defeat or the death" should be "to defeat or death," and "there is rougher sort of battle" should be "a rougher sort of battle."
  9. Under Skirimishes, in the correction for page 164, the "maneuver" in "a character may move an additional range band as an action via the maneuver action" might need to be capitalized to keep the style consistent; "Attack action" is elsewhere in the Errata document, and "Strike action" is in the beta book.
  10. In the first paragraph under "Fatigue," "even though instance that caused fatigue was relatively minor on its own..." should be "even though each instance..."
  11. Under "Readied Weapons in Mass Battles," the "count" in "to be count as readied..." should be "counted."

Beta Update, table 0-1

Mirumoto receive +1 Warth or Water