Hello all...can someone give an example of spells/invocations being used (preferably one combat and one noncombat situation). I don't remember seeing an example in either the beginners set nor the core rules.

I've been an l5r player since 1st edition (still have the book, glossy pages falling out and all), and am struggling on the casting of spells.

Thanks in advance.

Geiko

Non combat

(S)=success, (X)=Explosive success (O)= opportunity ($)=strife ‹ ›=black die, «»= white die. (_)=blank

Path to inner peace (water, rank 1) TN2 Theology (Water) targeting yourself or another character at range 0-2. Removes 2+BS successes.

So, Asahina, his pet pig pika and Daidoji have dispatched a bunch of oni, and are taking a short bit of rest before pursuing the madman who summoned them. (not long enough for proper downtime.) Daidoji is at 8/16 fatigue from the end-of-scene recovery. Asahina is also at half - 7/14.

Asahina casts the invocation... he has to use Water, because it's a water spell. He's got 4 water... and 3 theology. So, that's 4 black, 3 white, keep 3. Since Daidoji is not a shugenja, the GM rules that he cannot help. Rolling the dice, ‹_› ‹S› ‹X$› ‹O$› «S$» «S$» «S$». looking at this, he needs 2 successes. So, he's looking at strife. Or giving up his bottle of sake for a 3d reroll. His passion is healing (Asahina's player is a munchkin).
He could keep...

1. ‹S› ‹X$› ‹O$› to succeed, and heal both of them for 2 fatigue. (O) is needed for targeting 2. He then rolls an extra ‹_› , getting a (S), keeping it. He heals himself and Daidoji for 3 each. He cannot help himself nor Daidoji with this spell again until the next scene.
2. ‹S› ‹X$› «S$» to succeed, and heal just one of them. Again, popping the ‹X$›, the result is ‹S›, so 4 successes. Daidoji heals 4 fatigue. He can cast again to heal himself.
3. ‹X$› «S$» «S$» to succeed, healing just one of them, but also having backlash. Again, popping the ‹X$›, the result is ‹S›, so 4 successes. Daidoji heals 4 fatigue. But the ground within range 1 is now a mudwallow. A happy pika wallows to recover a strife. Meanwhile Asahina carefully lifts his robes, wals out, and takes off his tabi and waraji, putting on a fresh pair of tabi, and his geta., He cannot go on to heal himself .
4. ‹X$› «S$» «S$»«S$» to succeed, healing just one of them, but also having backlash. Again, popping the ‹X$›, the result is ‹S›, so 5 successes. Daidoji heals 5 fatigue. But the ground within range 1 is now a mudwallow. A happy pika wallows to recover a strife. Meanwhile Asahina carefully lifts his robes, wals out, and takes off his tabi and waraji, putting on a fresh pair of tabi, and his geta., He cannot go on to heal himself .
5. He could opt to fail, so as to retry. Keeping the ‹O›, he spends it to not have annoyed the kami. (GM call, not standard.)
6. sacrificing his sake, he rerolls all three white dice. No luck - «S» «S» «_». THe above options apply

On 1, 2, o, he takes no strife, since a passion reduces the strife taken (but not rolled - it doesn't reduce the chance of backlash).

He picks #2. On his second roll, he rolls ‹S› ‹S$› ‹O$› ‹_› «S» «X» «O». pretty good, but away goes the bottle of sake. ‹S$› ‹O$› ‹_› becomes ‹S$› ‹O$› ‹O›.

• He keeps ‹S› «S» «X» «O». Popping the «X», he adds «S». So he's got ‹S› «S» «X» «O» «S» - 4 successes, 1 opportunity. He opts for healing strife costing (O) as well, so drops 4 strife, 4 fatigue, and feels much better.
• he keeps ‹S› ‹S$› «S» «X», Popping the «X», he adds «S»., for ‹S› ‹S$› «S» «X» «S», or 5(S), 1($), He heals 5 fatigue, and thanks to his passion, no strife accumulates.
• he keeps «S» «X» «O» ‹O›. Popping the «X», he adds «S». He heals 3 fatigue, spends the (O) for strife heal, as well, and (O) to remove 2 more strife
• he keeps «S» «X» «O» ‹O›. Popping the «X», he adds «S». He heals 3 fatigue, spends the (O) for strife heal, as well, and (O) to have half a bottle of sake left (The Kami left him half - this is an efficiency spend, off of table 8-1)
• he keeps «O» to try again, but, sensing munchkinism, the GM decides that the next wave are inbound...

And, into combat...

A manifest Air Kansen comes over the hill...

After initiative, it's Asahina's turn. He opts for Heart of the Water Dragon: TN3 Theology (Water) to give the target character at range 0-1 supernatural armor equal to the water ring of the invoker. he's going to spend a void point, for an extra kept <_> (black die).

Rolling ‹S› ‹S$› ‹O$› ‹O$› ‹O$› «S» «O» «_»... keep 4... ‹S› ‹S$› «S» are the no-brainers - he needs to succeed to protect Daidoji from the Kansen's attacks. He wants also to protect himself: standard invocation (O) spend for targeting himself as well, so the final keep is ‹S› ‹S$› «O» «S». Both now have 4 Supernatural protection... the Kansen's talons are damage 4, so only its bonus successes will be damage... He makes it.

Next turn, he summons a Bō of water (TN1). ‹O› ‹O$› ‹O$› ‹S› «S$» «_» «_» He empties a bottle of natural seltzer he gathered from a hot spring... for the reroll... «S$» «_» «_» become «S$» «S$» «X». Keep is «X» ‹O› ‹O$› ‹O$›, and popping, «0»... 1(S) 4(O), which is all that's needed, and bonus successes don't help this spell... He spends (O) to make it a Nodachi, (O) to make it able to fight at range 3, and (O) to allow it Range 0... So, he's got a Nodachi with range adjusted to 0–3... and spends the last (O) to immediately attack the Manifest Kansen...

... which is Water and Melee. But that's not an invocation....

Remember that suffering backlash causes 3 Fatigue to the caster.