The 3rd page asked about Family ring bonus - I don't see any problem with a family giving a specific bonus, or a clan or school giving a specific bonus. I think maybe the School should give just 1 ring, and give the player a 2nd option to place a ring freely. This way the clan / family / school still definitively influence the character - as they should - but the player also gets enough say that they can spike any ring to 3 if that is their preference, or freely double up with existing bonuses to gain the 3's appropriate for their desired character.

On the same page - I don't want more techniques, but I do want a bit of a clearer breakdown of some of the available techniques, and at least more options of what I can pick between. The actual number you start with is fine for a new character (as the bonus experience chart would provide more techniques for a more experienced starter character). Any bushi type character should have at least 3 Striking as... element kata to choose between. These are CORE combat mechanics that are pruned off to become techniques and it was very frustrating that I could not access the Striking as... that I felt suited my style of play, or matched my stronger rings (We had a Shinjo Outrider with Air 3/2/2/2/1 stats with a choice of Striking as Fire and Water, and I really do NOT like Soaring Slice as a starting kata, with no options for any Striking as in Shosuro Infiltrator)

For experience - I don't think anything is really over / under costed, but I do think its too advantageous to start with 3/3/2/1/1 stats vs a character that starts with 3/2/2/2/1 or worse, 2/2/2/2/2. For all of these characters to reach 3/3/2/2/2 stats it costs them (12 / 15 / 18) xp leaving some characters too far behind for having the "wrong" character build (I would much rather character creation was about choice, not about min/maxing for power stats.) If the costs of the first 3 ranks of a ring were made the same (say 7 or 8 xp per ring rank up to 3, and then 3x for rank 4 and 5) it would balance out this power disparity (once you're behind in xp, provided the group generally earns xp together, that character will ALWAYS be behind in xp) while maintaining the power cost for the higher 4-5 ranks.
Skills face a similar issue, but it is not common to have rank 2 or 3 skills in creation from my experience, especially with the newer changing specifying that you can freely gain a skill you do not already possess a rank in... It might be good to just cap creation at skill 2 and have rank 1 and 2 of a skill cost 3, and then cost 2x level.

@shosuko that would be to much mechanical BS I understand your point but mechanically it's to much by giving players a pick of 1 or another ring when they pick clan it will help guid them to where they wish to be if someone chooses to have 3/3/2/1/1 or 3/2/2/2/1 now they can blame none but themselves for making a choices see hers how it would break down

1 pick clan (pick 1 of 2 rings say fire or earth for maybe crab)

2 pick family (there's at least 3 families that's a pick between 3 rings say for crab earth fire water)

3 school (in the final product there should be 3-4 schools per clan to start so that's 3 different rings defender+earth +water , Deathseeker +fire air, Kuni purifier +fire +water )

4 pick a ring give it +1(any ring)

so if I want a Deathseeker clan pick between fire and earth so if I want more composure and resilience I pick earth if I want more composure and focus I pick fire now family + pike the one that I really want so I want to go Deathseeker so I pick so I pick the family that gives me fire so right now he is e2 f2 w1 a1 v1 next he picks the Deathseeker +1 f and a so e2 f3 w1 a2 v1 question 4 now dose he want to be a strong healthy guy and go earth give himself a bit more spiritual guidance and take void or dose he go for the water ring to help balance him out hmm lets say he takes for the balanced way with water so he ends up with E2 F3 W2 A2 V1 he can not really complain cause he made all them choices for the most part and he will start of stronger than others or weaker than others because of it where as right now he only gets to pick 3 choices (and right now 2 of them is limited to 2 options cause it's beta family and school) his first choice of clan once piked is no choice in ring and question 4 gives all the choices. so by letting them pick between 2 rings after picking clan would be better and maybe let people make more balanced characters.

The one thing that bugs me a little (but I understand why) is the must have lowest ring +void to advance a ring but maybe this needs clarified a bit if your void ring is 1 and it's your lowest ring dose it really mean you can not raise other rings to 3 basically dose having a void ring of one cap you at 2 .

I'm not sure which you're responding to - but I assume you're talking about changing the xp to advance suggestion bringing in too much math. I agree that would bring in more math and problems, but each suggestion is its own suggestion. After reflection I think the best idea is to simply allow 2 free Ring advances in chargen. Give 1 fixed ring for clan, family, and school - then give 1 bonus ring for how you stood out in school, and perhaps 1 for who you were named for.

By giving a player 2 free ring choices they can guarantee a rank 3 in any ring - even if their clan / family / school provided nothing for that ring. They can easily align getting rank 3 in 2 rings which, because these stats are more "free form," is typically plenty to work with almost regardless of which rings they are. With the 2 free ring choices providing this power stability in chargen there would be no reason to re-tool the experience cost to advance as it would be at the feet of the player who set themselves back by not taking 2x 3 rank rings.