Please comment and
critique
. I would like to make these as favorable to the playerbase as possible. If you feel any of these should have gotten different bonuses or if my description is too lacking, I am happy to change the details. Feedback on this will also obviously be taken into account when I work on the future clans. Also, if you have created a vassal family for the crab of your own that you would like to add to this project, I would be happy to add it to the list.
The purpose of this project is to add additional lore-friendly families to every Great Clan. These are all vassal families that serve the main families of the Great Clans. The family these families serve is includes as often within Rokugan, they are referred to by their lord's family name followed by their own name, for example "Endo Ujimasa" would be called "Hiruma no Endo Ujimasa", sometimes even just calling him "Hiruma Ujimasa". However, if you want to play in a Rokugan that has a bit more diversity then you may drop the first part and simply refer to such a character as "Endo Ujimasa" under all circumstances.
The distinction here between "branch family" and "servant family" is not an official designation, but indicates whether the family came from outside the family they serve (usually entirely outside the clan, and often from ronin or peasant backgrounds) and were adopted by the family as permanent servants, which I have referred to as "Servant Family" or where a family designated some of its own members to focus on specializing in a certain task, which I have called "Branch Family". While these have never been used as terms within Rokugan canon, there is every indication that those from Branch Families get treated better than those from Servant Families.
Mechanically all of these families are a bit worse than the 4 to 5 you will find in the main RPG book. This is because these families are canonically of lower status within the clan. In fact, these characters should start off with 5 less status than regular member of their clan in addition to the lower glory and usually lower wealth found here. If GMs find that these few points of honor, glory and wealth are too great of a detriment for players to consider even playing these families, then they are encouraged to bump the glory here by 5 points, the wealth by an extra koku and not implementing the status loss for being from a branch family. The ultimate goal here is to increase the options for both PCs and NPCs-- obviously a balance between realism and enjoyment should be struck.
The Aotora Family
Bayushi Servant Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Fire or +1 Water
Skill Increases:
+1 Medicine, +1 Survival
Glory:
33
Starting Wealth:
3 Koku
The Aotora are an extremely new family to the Scorpion, being formed from peasant herbalists and gardeners under the leadership of Aotora. Their job is to study the effects of different herbs, both helpful and harmful, and discover cures for various poisons. Their job is understandable extremely dangerous and this very small family has already suffered some tragedies while experimenting with different poisons. Finding the Aotora can be a difficult task, however if you need an antidote there may be no one better to turn to in the Scorpion lands.
The Jitsuyoteki Family
Shosuro Branch Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Earth or +1 Water
Skill Increases:
+1 Command, +1 Government
Glory:
36
Starting Wealth:
4 Koku
The Jitsuyoteki reside primarily in Ryoko Owari where they mainly serve as guards and magistrates. Members of this family have even been known to be member of the elite Thunder Guard who answer directly to the governor of the city. Although they hold a high station in their city, it is also not particularly a secret that they are not immune to the corruption and temptations of their unique city and they likely do not have much of a reputation beyond its boundaries. As such, they are mainly only found in Ryoko Owari unless traveling with a member of the Shosuro family.
The Kochako Family
Soshi Servant Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Void or +1 Water
Skill Increases:
+1 Sentiment, +1 Skulduggery
Glory:
32
Starting Wealth:
3 Koku
During the fifth century, there was a conspiracy between the Crane, the Phoenix and the Scorpion to seize control of the empire and turn the Emperor into a puppet known as the Gozoku. After the conspiracy was dismantled, the Shosuro created the Kochako family from the most loyal, selfless and idealistic of the Shinobi. Their tasks was not to turn their skills without in the service of the Scorpion, but rather to look inward and find those among their Clan who are not faithful to Bayushi’s oath to Hantei. For many centuries, even the Bayushi did not know of their existence as they answered only to the Shosuro daimyo and even he was not above their judgement. However, eventually they were discovered by the Soshi who reported their activities. Rather than dissolving the family, the then champion encouraged them to continue their work but from then on they were to answer to the Soshi. Although the name of the family is no longer secret, even other members of the Scorpion clan do not actually know the mission of this family. If one does come across a member of the Kochako, they’d best not be an enemy or traitor to the Scorpion.
The Kuriyama Family
Soshi Branch Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Fire or +1 Void
Skill Increases:
+1 Courtesy, +1 Theology
Glory:
34
Starting Wealth:
3 Koku
The Kuriyama are a small family that live near the northwestern part of Shinomen forest, nearly outside of Scorpion lands entirely. They were originally made from some members of the Soshi family who were born without gift to communicate with spirit or command the shadows. However, the petite, but attractive members of this family are instead experts of the Scorpion Clan on the inhuman creatures that occupy the forest such as Kitsune, Naga, Tengu and others. They attempt to keep peaceful relations between such creatures and their clan
. This family can typically be found around the Shinomen forest.
The Naganori Family
Yogo Servant Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Earth or +1 Void
Skill Increases:
+1 Medicine, +1 Theology
Glory:
34
Starting Wealth:
3 Koku
The Naganori were originally a group of Kuni who tracked Shadowlands creatures that had been coming from the Shinomen forest at the time. As the same creatures were causing issues for the Scorpion, the Scorpion supported their efforts and gave them a home. Eventually, as relations between the Crab and Scorpion were poor, the family was called back—but they were reluctant to leave with their duty still not complete. During peace negotiations, the Scorpion bargained to allow the Naganori to stay as part of the peace process. Since the Shinomen forest remains a regular threat to the empire that cannot be contained by the Kaiu wall, the Crab reluctantly agreed.
The Nanbu Family
Soshi Servant Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Earth or 1 Water
Skill Increases:
+1 Fitness, +1 Labor
Glory:
33
Starting Wealth:
3 Koku
The Nanbu trace their lineage back to the third century to a Budoka, a peasant who takes up arms and acts as a ronin without proper lineage or permissions. Nanbu led a group of peasants and defeated a group of bandits who nearly killed the son of the Soshi daimyo. In exchange for this service, the Nanbu family was adopted into the Scorpion clan. They are generally considered a rustic, backwoods family whose mainly serve to guard the farmlands in the shadow of the World Edge mountains, near the Unicorn lands. Members of this combat rarely encounter members of other clans and even more rarely see any combat. It is unlikely to encounter a member of this family without traveling to their lands. However, if one does, one might be surprised by such a laidback and sincere individual in Scorpion colors.
The Rokugo Family
Bayushi Servant Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Fire or +1 Water
Skill Increases:
+1 Commerce, +1 Seafaring
Glory:
33
Starting Wealth:
6 Koku
While the Scorpion are known as the Emperor’s underhand, the Bayushi do make some small effort to appear to be upstanding and legitimate even though it is hardly much of a secret that they are being much of the illicit activity that goes on in Rokugan. In order to try to put a bit of distance between themselves and some of their more unsavory business dealings, the Bayushi have their own underhand. The Rokugo can be traced back to a group of ronin bandits who attempted to boldly seize control of some of the geisha houses and sake parlors that the clan had been neglecting. Eventually the Bayushi realized what happened, and knowing that his men couldn’t resist the might of the Scorpion clan, Rokugo offered to serve them instead. Surprised by this boldness, the Bayushi adopted them. The Rokugo now unabashedly run many of the illicit businesses of the Scorpion clan and even engage in some of the meanest of crimes. They make for a good scapegoat for those times magistrates discover the Scorpion’s part in the various criminal organizations across the empire.
The Sentaki Family
Bayushi Branch Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Air or +1 Water
Skill Increases:
+1 Courtesy, +1 Culture
Glory:
38
Starting Wealth:
5 Koku
The Sentaki are a branch of the Bayushi family who serve purely as courtiers and messengers. They were formed many centuries ago as the activities of the Bayushi eventually caused other clans to increasingly distrustful of them. The Sentaki were formed by the most skilled and forthright of the Bayushi courtiers to serve as diplomats on their behalf. The Sentaki are generally kept ignorant of many of the Bayushi’s plots, allowing them to speak entirely sincerely on behalf of their clan. It is generally understood that if an enemy were to capture and torture them for information, they know of no useful information they could divulge. For this reason, the Bayushi do not hesitate to send members of the Sentaki to speak directly to even their rivals and enemies. If you are involved in any sort of diplomacy with the Scorpion clan, you may meet a member of this family
The Tansaku Family
Yogo Branch Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Water or +1 Void
Skill Increases:
+1 Composition +1 Theology
Glory:
34
Starting Wealth:
4 Koku
The Tansaku are traced back to the earliest days of the empire. Yogo Tansaku was charged with finding a curse for the Yogo curse before the curse befell Yogo’s granddaughter. Ultimately, he failed, instead only being able to predict how the curse would manifest itself. Despite his failure, a family was formed in order to carry on his research and hopefully finding a way to bring the curse to an end once and for all. Although they have had no luck, they have become masters of divination and fortune-telling, rivaling even the skills of the Seppun, and the Yogo depend on them to try to predict when their curse might manifest in hopes of mitigating the damage. The Tansaku can be found just about anywhere the Yogo are found in the empire.
The Tokagure Family
Shosuro Servant Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Earth or +1 Fire
Skill Increases:
+1 Labor, +1 Medicine
Glory:
32
Starting Wealth:
3 Koku
The Tokagure are a family of gardeners, mostly peasants who are recruited into the family, who are charged with tending to and protecting the Shosuro gardens. The gardens grow the most potent and lethal poisons found anywhere in Rokugan. The gardens are sanctioned by the Emerald Magistrates with the understanding that the Shosuro are to find antidotes to the poisons, but in reality, they are used almost indiscriminately for assassinations carried out by the Scorpion. The Tokagure family have no lands and no school, passing down their techniques to new recruits through the ages. Many of the Tokagure family have understandably very short lives as one minor mistake mishandling the plants can cost them their lives. For this reason, very few of the family survive long enough to bear children, instead the family has to be refreshed with new members taken from the peasant population every generation. This family is hardly ever seen outside of Shiro no Shosuro.
The Ugawa Family
Bayushi Branch Family
Ring Increases:
+1 Earth or +1 Fire
Skill Increases:
+1 Aesthetics, +1 Smithing
Glory:
34
Starting Wealth:
6 Koku
The Ugawa were started during the 4
th
century, after a Kaiu samurai whose mistakes cost the rest of her unit their lives was married into the Scorpion Clan as punishment. Although initially dismayed by her loss of purpose in life, she found the Scorpion forges to be lacking and found new purpose. To this day, the Ugawa are the greatest smiths among the Scorpion and particularly specialize in the creation of armor. When in the Scorpion lands, most smiths one will find are members of the Ugawa family as the few who plied the trade before they joined eventually married into the family or took up other roles in the clan.