1. Trying to wrap my head around getting a critical strike, pg 268 paragraph Defending Against Damage. Specifically the bold statement. Maybe its just late and I dont understand.

2. In the NPCblocks ( oni for example says TN4 Meditation check (Earth 2 Air 5)). Why the 2 different rings?

Im sure I'll have more this weekend.

TN4 Meditation (Earth 2, Air 5) means it's a Meditation check with a TN of 2 if you use an Earth approach, of 5 if you use an Air approach, and of 4 if you use any other.

Can anyone purchase Ninjutsu techniques, or only characters that have them in their curriculum?

Characters can purchase ninjitsu techniques if they're listed specifically in the technique categories for schools, or on the curricula tables as exceptions.

In other words, if you can have them, it says so on your school page.

1 hour ago, General Zod said:

Can anyone purchase Ninjutsu techniques, or only characters that have them in their curriculum?

Example; The Storm Fleet sailor can't buy Ninjutsu, only Kata Shuji and Rituals, with the exception of the Skulk Ninjutsu, which tey can buy at their Rank 1.

In the curriculums, say rank 1 for 20 xp, is it that you dont have to buy all the things listed, just as long as you spend the required xp before you move up? In other words you could say that this is the cheapest way to increase rank...

From what I can see, no school has open ended ninjutsu access as of yet. Only the specific four techniques scattered around the school. There will undoubtedly be me ninjutsu focussed schools and mire techniques in an appropriate book.

2 minutes ago, bsmith23 said:

In the curriculums, say rank 1 for 20 xp, is it that you dont have to buy all the things listed, just as long as you spend the required xp before you move up? In other words you could say that this is the cheapest way to increase rank...

Any purchases on your curriculum's current rank count fully towards gaining rank, so yes it is the cheapest method to rank up. Anything not on the current rank only counts half. Characters are not required to purchase even a single aspect of their curriculum, though that would be an odd character that advances slowly. The curricula are also good advice of what to purchase next if you have a choice paralysis.

Also note, privileged access to techniques (the diamonds) only counts for your current rank. So if there is a technique you have access to that isn't in your general list you have to pick it up while working on that rank or you miss the opportunity. Some privileged access is just earlier access, but some are techniques that are not in the general list for the school. Examples being all ninjustsu techniques so far, and invocations for the Kaito Shrine Maidens.

So check my thinking from my first question about combat. Say I roll 2 bonus successes with my katana. Damage is 4, so 6 total. Opponent has 2 physical resistance, so back down to 4 damage. Opponent takes 4 fatigue. Or, they can spend a Void to check against a critical strike with a Fitness check to decrease. Does that sound right? Anything else?

You are correct. If after they take damage their Fatigue is above their Endurance they become Incapacitated and can no longer defend. That is the main reason a character may want to spend the Void point and take a critical strike instead of defending against damage and increasing their Fatigue. A character with the Dying condition can still take actions unless they are also Incapacitated.

6 hours ago, GM81 Protocol Droid said:

Also note, privileged access to techniques (the diamonds) only counts for your current rank. So if there is a technique you have access to that isn't in your general list you have to pick it up while working on that rank or you miss the opportunity.

Where are you reading or inferring this? I have this very question, but I can't find anything in the book that seems to indicate either way. A lot of schools have one or two of these, but as mentioned, the Kaito Shrine Keeper has a lot. Seems to me that someone playing a Shrine Keeper would want to be very careful about where they spend their XP.

12 minutes ago, The Grand Falloon said:

Where are you reading or inferring this? I have this very question, but I can't find anything in the book that seems to indicate either way. A lot of schools have one or two of these, but as mentioned, the Kaito Shrine Keeper has a lot. Seems to me that someone playing a Shrine Keeper would want to be very careful about where they spend their XP.

The rule is on pg. 97 under Restrictions and Prerequisites. It explicitly says "for the current rank in their curriculum" and that "They can buy it without meeting prerequisites."

Can the Shiba Guardian target himself with his own School Ability (Core Rulebook p. 76)?

8 hours ago, bsmith23 said:

In the curriculums, say rank 1 for 20 xp, is it that you dont have to buy all the things listed, just as long as you spend the required xp before you move up? In other words you could say that this is the cheapest way to increase rank...

Yep. But the safest is to buy your ring at 1 up to a 2... and then the exception talents for the current rank — because you cannot buy them otherwise — and then anything else you want.

Also note: XP spends alone doth not a new rank enable. You have to return to the dōjo to train.

What's the purpose of the Rank 6 Soshi technique? It doesn't make any sense to me or my gf. Are we missing something?

‘Oh nooooooooo. He has the MacGuffin. Please don’t leave with the MacGuffin, Villain-san. I would be ever so sad.’

The ability to retroactively cast illusions is amazing - just look at Mask of Wind or False Realm of the Fox Spirits!

2 hours ago, Mirumoto Jin said:

What's the purpose of the Rank 6 Soshi technique? It doesn't make any sense to me or my gf. Are we missing something?

Someone steals something, and you (retroactively) cast the illusion of the object (and define that the real one is hidden elsewhere, say, under the floor or in the rafters).

Or that daredareoni who just killed yamada taro was actually an illusion, not the real daredareoni, and so yamadasei is not dead, sei just fainted.

Or that the Amaterasu that Bayushisan just stabbed in the back is just an image of her, and so he's NOT the new Lord Moon... (yeah, my other players would have killed for this one in my last L5R 3E game... Bayushi Saburo got a couple really hot rolls, and Amaterasu, 10's in everything, rolled squat... not a single damage die above 3.)

Or even that sochi-sei is not in fact even in the scene, for sei actually cast an illusion and left...

So the Skulk ability (p.226) only affects one target? Or is it one target per opportunity spent?

1 hour ago, greysearcher said:

So the Skulk ability (p.226) only affects one target? Or is it one target per opportunity spent?

When only the opportunity symbol is listed without a plus symbol, than that option can only be purchased once per roll. So in this case, it is only possible to become unaware against a single target. Still useful for using certain abilities. The wording of the ability also implies it is just supposed to be against a single opponent.

2 hours ago, GM81 Protocol Droid said:

When only the opportunity symbol is listed without a plus symbol, than that option can only be purchased once per roll. So in this case, it is only possible to become unaware against a single target. Still useful for using certain abilities. The wording of the ability also implies it is just supposed to be against a single opponent.

Cool thanks.

9 hours ago, Lindhrive said:

‘Oh nooooooooo. He has the MacGuffin. Please don’t leave with the MacGuffin, Villain-san. I would be ever so sad.’

The ability to retroactively cast illusions is amazing - just look at Mask of Wind or False Realm of the Fox Spirits!

Well, I get that part, it's the fact that you tell people that it's your illusion. That would be like you killed someone and you tell people you killed them; not something you should be going around boasting about.

I get that while its cool to cast and get out of maybe a situation in which one party member steals something etc and you provide the distraction. But a soshi casts without people knowing and it seems out of character for them to be like yea this was an illusion 'i created it'. So thats confusing me.

50 minutes ago, Mirumoto Jin said:

Well, I get that part, it's the fact that you tell people that it's your illusion. That would be like you killed someone and you tell people you killed them; not something you should be going around boasting about.

Uh, have you actually READ the setting? Or any of the various scholarly works about the samurai caste? If their's one thing they consistently do, it's brag about killing. Even the harmless town samurai bragged of his hunting skills by listing his recent kills.

They're a murder cult wrapped tightly in an elite caste, with a healthy dose of suicidal conditioning. By modern standards, almost all samurai were insane. (that's half the fun!) And a whole lot of "love whom you will, but sire children only with your wife...<nudge, nudge, wink, wink>" and romanticizing forbidden love.

I would say "reveal that the thing you chose is in fact an illusion you wove" is more something you reveal to the other players and the game itself. Kinda like opening the box to see if the cat inside is dead or not. I don't think a Soshi ever says, "Yo, check out what I just did!" When the slain Emperor suddenly dissipates into mist, and the real Emperor walks in from the privy saying, "Lifted me clean off the seat! I coulda named it Yoritomo! So what's been going on in here?" the Soshi is going to gasp just as convincingly as the rest of the court.

You're missing the point of my last post. No Soshi would ever point out an illusion they created except for very specific reasons. They would point out illusions if it were beneficial to their schemes, but admitting to creating an illusion would be counterproductive most of the time. The part of the technique stating that they admit to the illusion's creation does not make sense at face value for a Soshi.