Basic Schools
Nezumi Warriors (“Ch”) [Bushi]
Nezumi warriors are a cunning, hardy lot that make the most of their physical abilities. They are adept at utilizing guerilla tactics and fi ghting as a team. They serve as the hunters and protectors of the tribe.
- Benefit: +1 Agility
- Skills: Athletics, Defense, Hunting (Survival), Jiujutsu, Lore: Shadowlands, Stealth, any one Weapon skill
- Niche: 3.5
- Starting Outfit: Any one Weapon, Light or Heavy Armor, crude leather pouch, 1 koku worth of scavenged items and shiny objects
Techniques:
Rank 1: Speed Of The Rat
Nezumi are lightning fast creatures with incredible refl exes. A Nezumi warrior may re-roll his Initiative a number of times per day equal to his Rank in this school. The warrior may choose which of the two rolls to keep. The warrior adds half of his ranks in the Athletics skill to his Armor TN while not in the Full Attack Stance
Rank 2: Strength Of The Pack
Young Nezumi warriors hunt and fight in packs to increase their chances of survival. For every ally who has attacked the Nezumi’s target since his last Turn (whether their attacks were successful or not), he gains a +1k0 bonus on his next melee attack roll. The total dice bonus may not exceed his School Rank.
Rank 3: Strike-Strike Fast
The warrior has learned the true lightning speed of the Nezumi. He may make melee attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action.
Rank 4: Darting Strike
Accustomed to fi ghting larger, stronger opponents, the warrior has learned to rely on his speed to avoid their blows. The warrior adds +10 to his Armor TN against any attack roll from an opponent with a lower Initiative score.
Rank 5: Tail Sweep
The tail is an often-overlooked advantage of the Nezumi warrior, and at this rank the Ratling has learned to make full use of it. During any round in which the Nezumi makes a successful melee attack, he may immediately take a Free Action to make another attack against the same target with his tail. This is normally considered an unarmed attack, although a Nezumi with the Clever Tail Advantage may use Small weapons instead.
Nezumi Scrounger (“Ithith”)
The term Scroungers is a catch-all for Nezumi who serve their tribe in many roles: scouts, spies, and thieves. They are extremely cunning and have a knack for using minimal resources to maximum efficiency. They are also masters of defensive combat, able to confound and confuse enemies while they make their escape.
- Benefit: +1 Perception
- Skills: Athletics, Defense, Hunting, Lore: Shadowlands, Stealth (Sneaking), Sleight of Hand, any one Skill
- Niche: 2.5
- Starting Outfit: Any Small or Peasant weapon, Ashigaru Armor, large sack, and 3 koku worth of scavenged items.
Techniques
Rank 1: Scurry-Scurry Through the Darkness
The first lesson taught to every Scrounger is to rely on speed and cunning. You gain a bonus of +2k0 to all your Stealth Skill rolls, and you may add your Stealth Skill Rank to your Armor TN at all times (even if you are caught unaware).
Rank 2: Fight and Fly
Scroungers are taught the art of distraction in order to avoid dangerous foes. If you successfully strike an opponent in a skirmish, and there is cover or darkness available nearby to conceal you, you may forego infl icting Wounds. Instead, you spend a Name Point and make a Contested Roll of your Stealth (Sneaking) / Agility against your opponent’s Investigation (Notice) / Perception. If you succeed, your opponent loses track of your location.
Rank 3: Yours Is Mine
Scroungers are such swift and instinctive thieves that they can steal even from those who are aware of their presence. If you are within 5’ of a target, you may take a Simple Action to make a Contested Roll of your Sleight of Hand (Pick Pocket) / Agility against your opponent’s Defense / Agility. If you succeed, you snatch a random item from the target’s obi, pocket, or any other accessible place. (You cannot steal items directly out of your opponent’s hands.)
Rank 4: Riding The Shadow
The Scrounger who has reached this level of skill is now so lightning fast that he may make melee attacks as a Simple Action instead of a Complex Action when he is using unarmed attacks or weapons with the Small or Peasant qualities.
Rank 5: Hide From Tomorrow
At this rank, a Scrounger becomes so swift and cunning that he can literally hide in his enemy’s shadow. You may attempt to hide behind your opponent as a Complex Action, making a Contested Roll of Stealth (Sneaking) / Agility against your opponent’s Investigation (Notice) / Perception. If you beat your opponent by at least 15, you successfully hide behind him. Your opponent may suspect where you are, but you move too quickly for him to catch a glimpse of you. You may not hide behind more than one opponent at a time. On each subsequent Round you must take a Free Action to make the Contested Roll again, thereby remaining concealed from your opponent. So long as you continue to succeed, you may take any other actions you desire (including attacking other enemies or using other Techniques). However, if you successfully attack your opponent, you are discovered and this technique cannot be used against that opponent again for the rest of this skirmish.
Nezumi Shaman (Nameseeker/”Kir”) [Shugenja]
The powers of Nezumi Shamans are both strange and formidable, and are discussed in depth later.
- Benefit: +1 Name
- Skills: Lore: Shadowlands, Lore: Spirit Realms (Yumedo), Meditation, Perform: Nezumi Dance, Stealth, any two Skills
- Niche: 4.0
- Starting Outfit: Any Small or Peasant weapon, poor quality robes, leather pouch, two Koku worth of scavenged items.
- Technique: Name Magic - A Nezumi shaman is capable of casting Nezumi Name Magic spells. See the section later in this chapter for details. All Shamans begin play knowing three Name Magic spells of appropriate Mastery Level of their choice.
Nezumi Rememberer (“Tch’tch”)
Nezumi Rememberers are the keepers of the history, culture, and ethics of the Nezumi race. They are responsible for making certain the deeds of the Nezumi people are not lost to Yesterday. The Rememberers aid their memories with special items called Memory Sticks.
- Benefit: +1 Intelligence
- Skills: Lore: Nezumi History, Lore: Nezumi Culture, Lore: Shadowlands, Perform: Storytelling, Stealth, any one Skill
- Niche: 3.5
- Starting Outfit: Any Small or Peasant weapon, leather pouch, two Koku worth of scavenged items, four wooden sticks (suitable to be made into memory sticks)
- Technique: Remembering - Rememberers are taught from earliest youth how to create Memory Sticks, tangible reminders of the past. A Rememberer may normally create any Memory Sticks with a Mastery Level equal to his Rank in this School, but may also create one type of Memory Stick that is one Mastery Level above his current School Rank. (Thus a Rank Two Rememberer can create all Mastery Level One and Two Memory Sticks, and one type of Mastery Level Three Memory Stick). See the rules for Memory Sticks for more details on how these items are created and used. All Rememberers begin with the Precise Memory Advantage at no Experience Point cost.
Advanced Schools
Berserkers (“Chitatachikkan”)
- Requirements: Agility 4, Strength 5, Earth 4, any Weapon skill (or Jiujutsu) at Rank 5.
- Special Requirement: The “brave-bold-sunlit-warriors-with-great-skill” are trained from those of their race born without fear, a rare trait indeed. You must have the Fearless Advantage.
Techniques:
Rank 1: Mad Fury
The Berserkers are touched by a power most Nezumi do not understand, and in combat they are a torrent of furious attacks. You gain a +1k1 bonus to all attack rolls made while in the Full Attack Stance. You may make melee attacks as a Simple Action rather than a Complex Action.
Rank 2: Dance Of The Doomed
The Berserkers do not feel pain, instead fighting all the harder as their life-blood leaks out. Once per skirmish, at the start of your Turn you may take a Free Action to activate this Technique. Once it is active, you may ignore Wound Penalties (including Down or Out) for a number of Rounds equal to your Strength Rank. This ability does not allow you to keep fi ghting after you are dead.
Rank 3: Sever Tomorrow
For a true Berserker, failure is worse than death. If you suffer enough Wounds to kill you, before dying you may immediately take a Free Action to make a fi nal melee attack against an opponent within melee range (this must be the opponent who killed you if he is within reach). You gain a +3k0 bonus to this attack roll. You die after this attack is resolved (whether or not it succeeds).