So, I am preparing a character for a game where we're all Ronin, from Peasant families, we all received training from another Ronin, with differing circumstances to the how and why. I've also never made a Ronin before, so I am not sure if I did this right.

I'm trying to make a character whose background was he was a farmer. He keep's his master's Katana and Wakizashi, after they lost their life protecting him and his family. he refuses to use them, he doesn't feel he deserves to but he didn't want to leave them for bandits to take, I'm still trying to think of a good end goal for what he should do with them. The overall plan for this character is to be high mobility and limiting what the enemy can do, not sure what all I can take to do that outside of coiling serpent style, i think there were some shuji that made things harder for enemies to do as they pleased in combat. I picked the high earth ring mostly because I felt it made sense with his farmer background. I don't think I'll be doing much in the way of damage but that can be someone else's job. Mainly, I just want to make an effective character that I'll enjoy playing while not holding anyone back. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, how does Bishamon's Blessing work?

Derived Attributes:

Endurance (Earth Ring + Fire Ring) x 2: 0/8

Composure (Water Ring + Earth Ring) x 2: 0/12

Focus (Fire Ring + Air Ring): 2

Vigilance (Air Ring + Water Ring) / 2: 2

Void Points: 1

Name: Akio
Lands: Phoenix
Family: Peasant Family
School: Worldy Ronin [Bushi, Courtier] Rank 1 EXP 0/20 pg. 76
Wealth: 10 Zeni

Rings: Air 1, Earth 3, Fire 1, Water 3, Void 2

Skills: Command 1, Fitness 1, Labor 2, Martial Arts - Melee 1, Martial Arts - Unarmed 1, Survival 2, Tactics 1, Theology 1

Techniques available: Kata, Rituals, Shuji

Starting Techniques: Crescent Moon Style pg. 175

Starting Shuji: Honest Assessment pg. 216

Learned Techniques:

Learned Shuji:

School Ability:
School of Waves (School Ability): Choose one bonus
curriculum skill; this skill henceforth counts as part of the
Worldly Rōnin Path curriculum for you at all ranks. Each
time your school rank increases, choose one additional
bonus curriculum skill this way.
When you make a check using one of your bonus
curriculum skills, you may negate 1 Strife symbol
Bonus Curriculum Skill(s): Tactics

Glory: 25

Honor: 30

Status: 20

Past: still working on this

Ninjo: still working on this

XP XP Spent XP Saved pg. 98

Equipment:
Traveling Clothes (Physical 2, Durable, Mundane, Subtle), Ashigaru Armor (Physical 3, Wargear), Katana Wakizashi, Trident (Rng 2, Dmg 4, DLS 4, 2-hands, Snaring, Wargear) Traveling Pack (Blanket, bowl, chopsticks, four days of travel rations, flint and tinder, Omamori of Bishamon, Tent, Umbrella), Mari (Ball)

Distinction Advantage:
Ebisu's Blessing (Earth) pg. 104

Passion Advantage:
Ikebana (Water) pg 113

Mentor Advantage:
Bishamon’s Blessing (Water) pg. 102

Adversity Disadvantage:
Sworn Enemy (still working on this) (Earth) pg. 129

Anxiety Disadvantage:
Irrepressible Flirtation (Earth) pg. 134

2 hours ago, Suimaru said:

So, I am preparing a character for a game where we're all Ronin, from Peasant families, we all received training from another Ronin, with differing circumstances to the how and why. I've also never made a Ronin before, so I am not sure if I did this right.

As in, using the "Rise From The Dust" campaign archetype?

2 hours ago, Suimaru said:

I'm trying to make a character whose background was he was a farmer. He keep's his master's Katana and Wakizashi, after they lost their life protecting him and his family. he refuses to use them, he doesn't feel he deserves to but he didn't want to leave them for bandits to take, I'm still trying to think of a good end goal for what he should do with them. The overall plan for this character is to be high mobility and limiting what the enemy can do, not sure what all I can take to do that outside of coiling serpent style, i think there were some shuji that made things harder for enemies to do as they pleased in combat. I picked the high earth ring mostly because I felt it made sense with his farmer background. I don't think I'll be doing much in the way of damage but that can be someone else's job. Mainly, I just want to make an effective character that I'll enjoy playing while not holding anyone back. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You might want to check with your GM a touch; yes, 'peasant family' is the label but it's questionable if you're actually peasants per se. If you were, you wouldn't have a Katana and Wakizashi, as that's illegal for a non-samurai to own.

Your master (a ronin, but still a samurai) could have adopted you from a farming family, A Knight's Tale fashion, or else you could be the child of an incredibly rural samurai who barely had the lands or wealth to arm and equip himself or herself and who had two children - meaning one child had to take one for the team and go make their own way in the world.

A character focused on supporting others and limiting enemy actions is perfectly workable. Coiling Serpent is one, but you might also focus on techniques which apply stuff like dazed, prone and so on. Open Hand Style lets you 'push' an opponent out of a specific stance. Breath of Wind, Crimson Leaves and Disappearing World styles all drop unpleasant conditions on people (disoriented, disarmed and dazed respectively). Iron Forest with a spear can hold an opponent at arm's length of you - and hence anyone behind you.

2 hours ago, Suimaru said:

Also, how does Bishamon's Blessing work?

Basically, you're physically pretty strong and don't tire easily. If the check is something where the GM agrees this would matter, you can reroll two dice.

Since you got that from your mentor, clearly they developed that (probably by a cool 'training montage' - so you should have a few bits of backstory relating to it ready to go in conversations...)

Remember your starting gear in Rise From The Dust is :

"Traveling clothes, any 1 weapon of rarity 7 or lower, traveling pack, any 1 item of rarity 5 or lower." plus " choose 1 additional item of rarity 5 or lower that you inherited from the family member, friend, or mentor who gave you your name or outlook on life."

I'm not sure how you've got ashigaru armour and a trident and a full daisho of both swords.

The GM said the Katana and Wakizashi was okay. He did say I will run into issues with having it, since I'm not supposed to. As for how I got them, the GM let me have them, since I do not intend to use them (part of my character's past) I'll be having to deal with the consequences of that when the GM feels the time is right. My Master dying was my characters fault, I tried to fight the bandits invading the town, when I wasn't really ready and with larger numbers and trying to keep me safe, they were dealt a fatal blow, they managed to drive the bandits off but they died afterwards.

Oh, so that's how Bishamon's Blessing works, cool. I do plan to add more to the backstory about how all this came about. I'll keep those techniques in mind, sounds pretty useful for what I am aiming for. I'll also let my GM know about the adoption thing, that might actually make things more interesting.

1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

If you were, you wouldn't have a Katana and Wakizashi, as that's illegal for a non-samurai to own.

He is a samurai tho. A ronin, but still a samurai. He actually has to wield a daisho to show his rank.

3 hours ago, Suimaru said:

Skills: Command 1, Fitness 1, Labor 2, Martial Arts - Melee 1, Martial Arts - Unarmed 1, Survival 2, Tactics 1, Theology 1

I would rather go with Martial Arts (Ranged) instead with Unarmed. Otherwise, the character looks good.

57 minutes ago, AtoMaki said:

I would rather go with Martial Arts (Ranged) instead with Unarmed. Otherwise, the character looks good.

Martial Arts Unarmed supports Open Hand Style and Coiling Serpent, though. Yes, the Trident is snaring but being able to use a bare hand effectively gives you an option against someone who gets past the pointy end.

58 minutes ago, AtoMaki said:

He is a samurai tho. A ronin, but still a samurai. He actually has to wield a daisho to show his rank.

Agreed. Sorry - more an issue bad wording from me. The character is a samurai, hence describing them as a farmer may not be quite correct unless they were formally adopted (or at least as formally as a ronin does anything).

2 hours ago, Suimaru said:

The GM said the Katana and Wakizashi was okay. He did say I will run into issues with having it, since I'm not supposed to.

No, I get that. I mean that the Katana, Wakizashi, Ashigaru Armour, and Trident are 4 separate items, none of which are part of your travelling pack, and you have the potential to start with 3. You don't get the starting gear of a normal worldly ronin with Rise from the Dust campaigns.

1 hour ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Martial Arts Unarmed supports Open Hand Style and Coiling Serpent, though.

The character has initially neither, and it will take him some time to either gain (Coiling Serpent) or use (Open Hand) them. Until then it is better to go ranged and pick Pelting Hail Style as a starting kata for maximum fun.

5 hours ago, Magnus Grendel said:

Martial Arts Unarmed supports Open Hand Style and Coiling Serpent, though. Yes, the Trident is snaring but being able to use a bare hand effectively gives you an option against someone who gets past the pointy end.

Agreed. Sorry - more an issue bad wording from me. The character is a samurai, hence describing them as a farmer may not be quite correct unless they were formally adopted (or at least as formally as a ronin does anything).

No, I get that. I mean that the Katana, Wakizashi, Ashigaru Armour, and Trident are 4 separate items, none of which are part of your travelling pack, and you have the potential to start with 3. You don't get the starting gear of a normal worldly ronin with Rise from the Dust campaigns.

I know, the GM let me have them, on the stipulation that I can't use them, they are purely for my character's background.