For folks that have had the ability to play through duels a couple times, and have had the chance to look at the Miya Herald... What are the chances that it would be a viable duelist?

((Once per round when an enemy takes an attack or scheme action you can inflict [rank] strife with no action.))

If you can hold out in earth for a few rounds you can force the enemy into unmasking/getting a kill shot (I forget the terminology).

I realize bushi are pretty well the better option, but I could see, on paper, with some kind of strategy, to be (kinda) effective

1 minute ago, Arolem said:

If you can hold out in earth for a few rounds you can force the enemy into unmasking/getting a kill shot (I forget the terminology).

Finishing blow.

• It can work - courtiers are surprisingly good at duels to first blood or to the death precisely because they tend to be good at strife management (since that's a primary skill in intrigues!); winning via finishing blow is their main option
  • Plus, a courtier should generally be able to out-debate a bushi to ensure that the fight isn't to incapacitation, defeat or first strike. Because if it is, so sorry, but you're probably going to get buggered by a competent opponent.
• It's certainly workable for Ikoma Bards with Heart Of The Lion , who do something similar (transferring a chunk of strife from them to you).
• Probably crucial is your performance/courtesy/sentiment skill for unique actions in a duel - being able to do water/fire social checks to move strife about, whilst hopefully either not getting hit or 'only' taking fatigue or minor, largely irrelevant low-severity criticals.
• Your main issue is going to be your composure/endurance scores - as a courtier, I'm assuming they don't get the increased earth ring most bushi get?
• You may or may not get free access to Martial Arts (Melee) and Fitness - you can pick them up like any skill but I imagine a starting character will be missing at least one.

Miya and seppun families both get earth as an option, but the school is air and water. (Imperials getting air for clan).

So they *can* start with earth 2 or 3 (with your highlighted ring during schooling)

But then fire would be your lowest. So you'd roughly be e3/a3/w2/f1/v1 at the start. The big air bonuses come out to be a bit of a hindrance for dueling, I suppose.

Edit: Miya family can choose air too, so if you go air for family and air for your highlighted ring that effectively 2 ring allocations to any, allowing you to split earth and fire too. But still... The air doesn't lend too well to duels.

48 minutes ago, Arolem said:

The big air bonuses come out to be a bit of a hindrance for dueling, I suppose

It depends. "Duelling" as a class of conflict is a very broad brush to call any one thing 'good' or 'bad'.

A high Air ring increases your focus (for high initiative) and allows you to confidently fight from Air Stance (meaning a higher-than-normal TN to hit you) - it's great for duels 'to first strike' and to a lesser extent 'to first blood'. Duels to incapacitation you need a higher earth rank to tank fatigue hits, whilst duels to the death you'd rather have water or fire for strife-based shenanigans.

Earth & Water is not a bad combination for nastier duels. You get a very good composure and a decent endurance, and unless you take an iaijutsu technique, you'll need water stance to be able to draw-and-strike in one go (do they get access to Kata? or at least preferential access to Iaijutsu strikes on their curriculum?)

2 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

(do they get access to Kata? or at least preferential access to Iaijutsu strikes on their curriculum?)

They do get Kata. They also get fitness from the school skills, and fitness is a rank 1 option for full advancement.

Unfortunately they don't get Kata for any rank at full advancement. That said if they managed to pick up the yojimbo title they could pick up 2 iaijutsu techniques, crossing and rising, as well as warriors resolve.

14 minutes ago, Arolem said:

That said if they managed to pick up the yojimbo title they could pick up 2 iaijutsu techniques, crossing and rising, as well as warriors resolve.

A courtier being someone's Yojimbo would seem a bit narratively weird, though. Miya Heralds strike me as the sort of individuals who'd have bodyguards rather than be them.

Yeah, outside of very specific story/campaign specific events I couldn't see it happening. Was just sharin where you could get them with a full advancement/early access.

But they can still grab em eventually at normal rank for half advancement.

Yeah, have your Miya Herald turtle up in earth stance and flail away at the opponent, use warrior's resolve if needed. I don't see how the opponent can win first strike/blood.

Oh wait, with heartpiercing strike obviously! The answer to every duels.

So sad... So. Sad.

Edit; if the predict action wouldn't be so awful... It would put a balm over many MANY of the problems with dueling.