Hi !

Are there rules for spell research in this edition? Have any of you invented house rules for it?

Thanks !

no and no.

to be fair, the invocations and shugenja are in a real good spot in this edition so far. It is the Kata and Shuji which are very hit and miss; a few are mandatory (hello heartpiercing strike, the only kata that can help you win a duel or win against an armored opponent in earth stance), and a lot of them are strictly useless.

First thing is I'm going to ask a question, what are you looking for in research rules?

Are you trying to find rules for creating spells, modifying spells, or maybe just trying to make it harder for a shugenja to just gain a spell with out narrative effort. Like how did you learn an earth spell suddenly? You only did earth before!

The game doesn't have any base research rules but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to add some. Mostly just what do you want them to do?

I don't think they're needed but perhaps even more importantly I think rules for invocation research, if you really want them, should arguably be very straightforward, only regulate things like how long it'd take and what kind of prereqs should be met - they should IMO not involve checks of any kind. Putting in effort to learn a new invocation only to fail because of a dice roll sucks. It's not fun and it doesn't make for a better game.

If you want someone to be able to learn a new invocation, just let them. Make sure the invocation itself is in order and won't break the game, set whatever limitations and requirements you want to set, and let them have it. Done. The only time I'd ask for a check to identify or learn some unknown piece of magicry is if the character wanted to try it based on seeing it being done or finding a manual and wanted to try it on the spot - so no research, just trying to bypass all the hard work with talent and luck.

On 3/22/2019 at 9:55 PM, nameless ronin said:

The only time I'd ask for a check to identify or learn some unknown piece of magicry is if the character wanted to try it based on seeing it being done or finding a manual and wanted to try it on the spot - so no research, just trying to bypass all the hard work with talent and luck.

Even then, 'Importune Invocations' kind of covers "trying to improv an invocation no-one's ever actually taught me".

2 minutes ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Even then, 'Importune Invocations' kind of covers "trying to improv an invocation no-one's ever actually taught me".

Yes, but then you have to keep importuning every time you want to use that invocation until you actually learn it. I don't think that's what's meant with "magic research". It's essentially just using a massive bribe.

If the PCs who wants to create a new invocation has access to amazing libraries (Otasan Uchi? The Akodo library?) or a source of spiritual learning (mentors at the home castle) or even a kami that is especially friendly and helpful ... then you might just let them spend 3 xp to represent the effort of learning the new invocation (assuming you, as the GM, are okay with the spell they wish to create).

In less perfect circumstances it would be reasonable to put some narrative requirements as prerequisites before they learn the spell. For example if your wants a weird new spell that causes the earth to explode upward from under opponents feet, then they might need to first meet a kami that dwells in a volcano (or one that sometimes causes earthquakes) and make contact. They then might need to to do a favor or give something that the kami values to entice it to work with you on creating the new spell. Probably you need to spend one or more downtime activities experimenting. And then you spend the xp for your new technique.