I decided to collect all of my house rules and game adjustments into one thread separate from the general Homebrew thread. Feel free to question or discuss any of my changes. A few items have been tested, and a few have not. I will try to point out where I agree and disagree with the official errata and FAQ document.
Clans and Families
Schools
Hiruma Scout School
In starting techniques, replace the option of " ♦ Rushing Avalanche Style" with " ♦ Veiled Menace Style". / The Hiruma Scout School has always been heavy on stealth usage. This was even a kata they had access to in 4ED. Veiled Menace Style works well with both ranged and melee weaponry, without settling them into the bashing weapons that their starting outfit lacks.
Kaiu Engineering School
In starting techniques, after " Sh ū ji " add "(choose one)". / Schools usually only have two starting techniques if they have five skills, this appears to have been a mistake to me.
Kakita Duelist School
In rank 1, replace "Striking as Air" with "Stonewall Tactics". / Striking as Air is redundant. I choose Stonewall Tactics to work with the Earth ring bonus, and the idea that the Duelist is hard to ignore feels thematic. This disagrees with the errata document.
Mirumoto Two-Heavens Adept School
In starting techniques, replace " Sh ūji: ♦Dazzling Performance" with " Kata : ♦Iaijutsu Cut: Rising Blade". / Dazzling Performance is a rank 3 technique, and would be the only rank 3 starting technique. Even though Mirumoto do have connections with glory I wanted to give them a quick draw ability while differentiating them from the Kakita. I considered an Iaijutsu Cut along with Spinning Blade Style making it choose one, but despite being a good technique it does not work with their school ability which already does well at portraying the two swords technique.
In Rank 1 replace "♦Iaijustu Cut: Rising Blade" with "♦Lord Togashi's Insight". / The Mirumoto have always been an introspective spiritual bushi school. I felt this would make a good rank 1 choice even though it overlaps with the Tattooed Order.
Togashi Tattooed Order
In starting techniques, after " Kih ō " replace " (choose one) " with " (choose two) ". / Including the school ability, this will start Tattooed Order attendees with four techniques like other four skill schools.
Akodo Commander School
- In starting outfit, after "yari (spear)" add "or tessen (war fan)". / The tessen is a associated with commanders, and that association existed in previous edition. The yari is still a good choice to represent formation tactics and groups like the Ikoma Wardens.
- In rank 1, replace " ♦Iron Forest Style" with "♦Tactical Maneuvers". / This emphasizes the Akodo tactical acumen with a good general purpose technique. Iron Forest Style is fitting for certain subsets such as the Ikoma Wardens I mentioned above, but I feel this is better representation for the school as a whole.
- In rank 1, replace "Warrior's Resolve" with "Honest assessment". / I waffled on either taking the errata choice or keeping my original idea of The Weight of Duty. Both are fitting, and these Earth shuji that are generally useful for honorable soldiers. /spoiler]
Ikoma Bard School
In starting techniques, after " Sh ū ji " add " (choose one) ". / Schools usually only have two starting techniques if they have five skills, this appears to have been a mistake to me. The beta had the choose one wording as well.
Matsu Berserker School
- In starting techniques, replace "♦Rushing Avalanche Style, ♦Spinning Blades Style" with "♦Reckless Abandon Style, ♦Unrelenting Assault". / Neither of the original techniques match the thematic of the current or old Matsu lore, and don't match well with the starting equipment before or after my changes below. These are two new techniques I have come up with, which probably need a lot of work.
- I had considered replacing the starting fire sh ū jii Stirring the Embers with the earth sh ū ji the Weight of Duty. StE does work as a rallying speech ability. I would rather something more of a self brag to start with instead of a more leadership technique, but I think a creative player could find a fire social brag roll that targets them self as a psyche up action. Very fitting for Matsu.
- In starting outfit, replace "tessen (war fan)" with "yari (spear)". / The Matsu have traditionally been associated with the spear, and the current art holds to that. Even on this page! The katana and tessen combo has traditionally been associated with Akodo.
Asako Loremaster School
In rank 2, replace "Civility Foremost" with "Tea Ceremony". / Civility Foremost was granted with starting techniques. Tea Ceremony seems to be a good choice for civil loremasters and their role as advisers. This agrees with the errata document
Shiba Guardian School
- In rank 1, replace " ♦ Civility Foremost" with " ♦Iron Forest Style". / Iron Forest Style is heavily associated with the Shiba, and was a common kata for them to shoot for. This sets up my change for rank 2.
- In rank 2, replace "Iron Forest Style" with "Civility Foremost". / Iron Forest Style is redundant with the technique group at rank 2, so by switching it and Civility Foremost we have a more natural flow in the curriculum. This disagrees with the errata document, but I feel just switching these two techniques is more elegant and fitting.
Kaito Shrine Keeper School
- Note: In starting techniques Tempest of Air should be marked as ♦ privileged access since invocations are not among their techniques available. Even though the Kaito have no rank 2 techniques starting, I think it is fitting since they have unique access to invocations and shugenja usually do not have rank 2 techniques starting either.
- In rank 2, replace "Pelting Hail Style" with "Divination". / This helps cement the ritualistic duties of the Kaito, though I do wish there was another rank 2 ritual besides Tea Ceremony to slot in here. Pelting Hail Style is redundant with the technique group. This agrees with the errata document
Iuchi Meishodo Master School
In starting techniques, after " Invocations " remove "(choose two)". / While this creates very little variance in the school, this puts them at the five techniques other 3 skill shugenja schools have.
Utaku Battle Maiden School
In rank 1, replace "Striking as Air" with "Courtier's Resolve". / While not courtiers, the Utaku are known for the serenity and tend to be well known. There is also their connection to poetry, which itself is connected to the Air and Void rings. This agrees with the errata document.
Techniques
Reckless Abandon Style - Rank 2 Close Combat Kata The only concern of a warrior is to defeat their enemy. Each step forward brings both closer to death.
Activation: When you make a Fitness or Martial Arts [Melee or Unarmed] check if there is a target within range 0-1, you may spend opportunity in the following way:
Opportunity: Suffer physical damage equal to the number of range bands moved (if any) closer to the target since the end of your last turn. After the first time the target makes a check as part of an Attack or Movement action, they suffer physical damage equal to the shortfall on their check (if any) plus the number of range bands you moved closer to the target since the end of your turn. This effect persists until the start of your next turn.
Opportunity+: The first time your target moves, you move a number of range bands closer up to the opportunity spent. You must take this movement but stop once you reach range 0 of your target. This effect persists until the start of your next turn.
Unrelenting Arms Style - Rank 2 Close Combat Kata - The bushi's powerful strike creates an inescapable assault. Enemies find themselves off-balance and vulnerable.
-Activation: When you make a Martial Arts [Melee] check with a weapon in a two-handed grip, you may spend opportunity in the following way:
- Opportunity+: You must spend opportunity equal to your target's Vigilance to activate this technique. Reduce the TN of Attack actions against the target to 1. This effect persists until the end of your next turn.
Conflicts
Duels
- Finishing Blows: Change the text on the severity of critical strikes to "the finishing blow inflicts a critical strike with severity equal to the deadliness of the weapon or Attack action uses, plus the attacker's Focus and bonus successes." / My house rules for duels use Focus more often, intending to make Focus a bit of a character's personal deadliness.
- Center: Change the text after Activation: to "As a Support action, make a Meditation (Void) check with a TN equal to the current round of the duel. " Change the text after Effect: to "If you succeed, increase your Focus and Initiative by the current round of the duel plus bonus successes. This effect lasts until the end of your next turn." / By being a roll the Center action can use opportunities. There are a few ways to reserve dice in Air, so I felt Center working with Focus might actually simulate the "Focus" steps and Center Stance of previous editions. Increasing Focus goes into increasing the severity of critical strikes for Finishing Blows, as well as initiative. Also, the basic Void Opportunity effect of decreasing TNs also simulates the previous editions +1k1 effect.
- Predict: Change the text after Activation: to "As as an Attack and Scheme action, make a Sentiment check with a TN equal to your opponent's Vigilance." Change the text after Effect: to "If you succeed, you may secretly select Air, Earth, Fire or Water. The next time your opponent chooses their stance, you may reveal your selection. If it matches the stance they chose, your opponent receives strife equal to your Focus plus bonus successes on the check and must choose a different stance. This effect persists until the end of your turn." Add a section for New Opportunities. Add " Opportunity+: If you spend opportunity equal to your target's Vigilance, you may secretly select a second element among Air, Earth, Fire or Water to reveal when your opponent chooses a stance." / This change makes Predict a check based action, removing water as the preferred stance as well as opening up opportunity usage. Making the strife inflicted Focus plus bonus successes makes Finishing Blow farming more reasonable with this action, as does being able to lock out two opportunities.
- Prepare Item: Change the text after Activation: to "The intense scrutiny of a duel creates a palpable tension between adversaries. As a support action, make a check using a skill relevant to the item with a TN equal to your opponent's Vigilance. Martial Arts [Melee] is the relevant skill to draw Melee weapons." Under Effect: the following line "If you fail the check, suffer strife equal to the shortfall plus your opponent's Focus. / This is the key change to my Duel rules. By being a check based action, using Water stance to draw then Strike is no longer a valid strategy. Suffering strife for failure pushes Finishing Blows which is I feel should be the preferred end to a duel.
- One Roll Duels: The TN is equal to the opponent's Vigilance. The severity of a critical strike is equal the deadliness of the weapon, plus the attacker's Focus, adding bonus successes depending on how the winner is determined per normal. This is the preferred type of duel resolution for single draw iaijutsu duels that don't continue until someone succeeds. If both characters fail the roll, neither inflicts a critical strike and both lose.
spoiler tag edits