My final article on the combat rules has gone up on the blog. This covers Shugenja's, ranged combat and some teamwork. Enjoy! or not.

https://shirodaidoji.blogspot.com/2019/03/l5r-rpg-rules-runs-part-iii-shugenjas.html

A very nice article. My only observation:

"a shugenja can only attempt a given invocation once per scene" (Sidebar, core rulebook, Page 190)

i.e. once you've attempted to use Grasp Of Earth, prepared or not, it's off-limits for the rest of the fight. It's one of the big reasons importune invocations and 'normal' melee skills are important to a shujenga; in a major fight someone trying to use a shujenga as an "I cast Fireball!" D&D wizard will swiftly find themselves running out of useful offensive invocations.

I thought that rule was for out of conflict situations.

Just to control abuses in narrative time like "i never walk i always fly".

Yup. The sidebar says that out of conflicts invocations are once per scene. In life or death conflict situations then they can be used multiple times.

Without that Shugenja's would be pretty useless otherwise.

Avatar is right. The full quote from the sidebar is "Outside of conflicts and other life-and-death situations, a shugenja can only attempt a given invocation once per scene".

In conflict, nothing prevents from spamming the same invocation over and over (or until you burn yourself with a backlash).

On the Hiruma technique.. I had not idea it was different in the printed version of the book! That's all the more strange that it is not mentioned at all in the errata page.

But I do have my pdf right here and it does mention the stance dancing (which is actually the main part of the technique, because let's face it, you don't face silhouette 3+ critters every day). Does anyone else have the same issue with the physical copy? Just curious.

10 minutes ago, Franwax said:

On the Hiruma technique.. I had not idea it was different in the printed version of the book! That's all the more strange that it is not mentioned at all in the errata page.

But I do have my pdf right here and it does mention the stance dancing (which is actually the main part of the technique, because let's face it, you don't face silhouette 3+ critters every day). Does anyone else have the same issue with the physical copy? Just curious.

My physical copy says the Hiruma stance dances.

2 minutes ago, JBento said:

My physical copy says the Hiruma stance dances.

Oh.. then Matrim must have a vintage copy

Hiruma stance dancing is unfun (remove risk vs reward gameplay), and simply broken for duels as it totally neutered any predict attempt so there are no way of taking an hiruma out of earth stance.

discustingly trashy design.

Onward.

My copy is missing all the 'what to do with dice' pages as well which is irritating. I should have a replacement copy arriving once Asmodee restocks it (if it re-stocks it).

It wouldn't effect predict as the predict fires before the attack so the stance change does not occur.

At best it means the Hiruma is always attacked in (probably) earth stance so gets less forced criticals.

Predict sucks anyway.

18 minutes ago, Matrim said:

It wouldn't effect predict as the predict fires before the attack so the stance change does not occur.

At best it means the Hiruma is always attacked in (probably) earth stance so gets less forced criticals.

Predict sucks anyway.

predict sucks anyway, true.

and since predict works only for the next time the opponent choose a stance, Hiruma can pick a stance he wants (void if he wants to be 100% sure to avoid the predict), then switch to Earth after the attack (and predict won't work anymore).

even without predict, this ability in duel is insanely strong (better than Kakita's by a mile, and close in power to Mirumoto's) making Hiruma one of the best duelist in the game (and i'm sure it wasn't intented, just another one of their untested, unthought of, butched polishing of the rules)

venting over!

btw, thanks for the article, it is great.

I really like the pictures captions

Those scouts... bunch of showboats!

This is excellent! I will be directing my players to your articles.

Also, what's the current status of the Hiruma School? I got the Core Book on release day, and I hadn't heard about this errata. Anyone wanna break it down for me?

36 minutes ago, The Grand Falloon said:

This is excellent! I will be directing my players to your articles.

Also, what's the current status of the Hiruma School? I got the Core Book on release day, and I hadn't heard about this errata. Anyone wanna break it down for me?

If your book says the Hiruma stance dances, you're good.