<The Samurai, The History Channel: Part 1>

Table 25: Samurai

Experience Points	Experience  Level	Level Title	10-sided Dice  for  Accum. Hit Points	Damage Bonus	THACO	Saves	Proficiencies	Special  Abilities
0 -- 2,500	1	White belt	1	0	20 (1/1)	14.15.16.17.17	5. You must specialize in the katana. You must specialize in the daikyu.	-
2,501 -- 5,000	2	Yellow belt	2	+1	19	14.15.16.17.17	-	-
5,001 -- 10,000	3	Blue belt	3	+1	18	13.14.15.16.16	-	-
10,001 -- 18,000	4	Brown belt	4	+1	17	13.14.15.16.16	-	-
18,001 -- 36,500	5	Samurai (Black belt, 1st Dan)	5	+2	16 (3/2)	11.12.13.13.14	-	-
36,501 -- 75,000	6	Master Samurai (Black belt, 2nd Dan)	6	+2	15	11.12.13.13.14	-	-
75,001 -- 135,000	7	Ninja (Black, 3rd Dan)	7	+2	14	10.11.12.12.13	-	-
135,001 -- 235,000	8	Hatamoto (Black, 4th Dan)	8	+3	13	10.11.12.12.13	-	-
235,001 -- 400,000	9	Daimyo (Black, 5th Dan)	9	+3	12 (2/1)	8.9.10.9.11	-	-
400,001 -- 650,000	10	Tai-Pan (Black, 6th Dan)	9 + 2	+3	11	8.9.10.9.11	-	-
650,001 -- 1,000,000	11	Taiko (Black, 7th Dan)	9 + 4	+4	10	7.8.9.8.10	-	-
1,000,001 -- 1,300,000	12	Shogun (Black belt, red sash)	9 + 6	+4	9	7.8.9.8.10	-	-

    300,000 XP are required for each level beyond 12th.
    Samurai gain 2 hp per level beyond 10th.

    <level titles are from d49.18> <check>

A samurai is first and foremost a warrior, one who lives and dies by the sword.

The prime duty in his life is to serve && obey his daimyo (lord) in all things.

In doing so, the samurai gains honor & xperience, increasing in power and
importance in the world. However, bushido (the code of the samurai) is hard & unrelenting.
A samurai must be willing to accept his death at any moment.
There can be no failure for a samurai when serving his daimyo, for his only
choices are to succeed or die in the attempt. If the samurai accepts these choices,
he cannot fail since death is not failure; it is the ultimate service a samurai can render to his daimyo.

To properly serve his daimyo, a samurai must be skilled in many things.
He is routinely expected to know the use of the katana (sword) and daikyu (great bow).
He must be adept at horsemanship.
Ideally, he must also be accomplished in the arts.
These include calligraphy, music, noh, poetry, and painting.
Indeed, these skills are almost important as his combat training.
A samurai character must strive for perfection in all these things, since they reflect upon his honor, the honor of the daimyo, and the honor of his family.

The samurai class has no prime requisite, and thus samurai characters do not gain experience for having high ability scores.
A samurai must have min. scores of 13 in STR, WIS, and Con, and 14 in Int.
A samurai must be of lawful alignment, although he can be good, evil, or .
The samurai fights and makes saves as a fighter.

Human or spirit folk samurai belong to the highest caste and are commonly of noble birth.
A such, they gain a +10 bonus to the die roll on Table 38: Character Birth when determining their social position.

Korobokuru who wish to become samurai must first find a daimyo who will act as their sponsor and obtain permission to become part of his household.
Accordingly, korobokuru do not use Table 38, but automatically begin at Upper Class.
Untli a sponsor is found, the korobokuru samurai is treated as if he were a bushi, unable to advance beyond the 1st level.
He must choose the weapon specializations and proficiencies required of a samurai, but does not gain any other advantages of the class.

Samurai characters roll 10-sided dice to determine their HP, gaining one HD per level. <is this line really necessary?>

At 1st level they have five proficiency slots.
Every samurai must specialize with the katana.
The remaining four slots must be used for daikyu specialization or any non-weapon proficiencies. <>
Only samurai are allowed to specialize in two weapons at once, and these must be katana and daikyu. <>
A samurai can wear any armor but cannot use a shield.
Gaining proficiency with and using weapons favored by ninja causes a samurai to lose honor.

By 2nd level every samurai character must have proficiency in horsemanship.
By 3rd level every samurai character must have proficiency with the bow.
By 6th level the samurai must have proficiences in calligraphy, painting, and poetry.

The samurai has several other special abilities that he gains as he increases in level.
These abilities can only be used when the samurai reaches or surpasses the stated level.

At 1st level the samurai begins to learn the art of focusing his ki (the energy of his body).
By concentrating on his breathing and using a kiai (a loud, fierce shout), the samurai increases his Str to 18/00.
This effect lasts only one round.
A samurai can focus his ki a number of times per day equal to his level.
Thus, a 7th level samurai can focus his ki seven times in a single day.

Starting at 2nd level a samurai gains a +1 bonus to his damage dice rolls.
This bonus increases by an additional point for every three levels beyond 2nd (+2 at 5th level, +3 at 8th level, etc.).

At 3d level, the samurai character is surprised only on a roll of 1 on 1d6.

At 5th level, the samurai is immune to all types of fear.

At 6th level, the appearance of a samurai can cause fear in all creatures with 1 HD or less (save vs. Breath Weapon is allowed).
The samurai can control this power, turning it on and off (as it were) at will.
Any characters or creatures struck by fear flee from teh samurai or surrender to him, depending on the circumstances.
A creature that passes its save is immune to this effect for the remainder of the encounter.

At 7th level, the samurai is offered jito (stewardship) over one of the properties of his daimyo.
This requires a min. honor score of 50.
He is not required to accept.
If he does, the charater is watched over and directed by the daimyo's shugo (constable of the province).
As jito, the samurai must watch over the area for his daimyo, protecting property, settling disputes, quelling rebellions, and collecting taxes.
In return, he receives one-quarter of all the taxes he collects.

The daimyo also provides the new jito with 10 bushi and one to four samurai, all of 1st to 3rd level.

These men are ultimately loyal to the daimyo, but will faithfully serve the character unless and until the daimyo intervenes.
The samurai character retains his position of jito over this land from this point on, even if he increases in level and establishes his own family and property.
He can assign his duties to an underling (in exchange for a portion of the tax) and is not required to remain on the property.
This grant of land can only be lost if the samurai fails to turn over the daimyo's portion of the taxes or if he blatantly mismanages the property.
Even then, it is the daimyo's responsibility to regain control of the property, and it is not unknown for a jito to usurp the property of his master, claiming it as his own.

Although he collects rent from it, the property does not belong to the PC -- it is still held by the daimyo.
The daimyo (and only the daimyo) has the right to dispose of the property as he wishes.

Should the samurai refuse the offer of stewardship, his daimyo offers a fitting homes in the city or bakufu (camp office) where he makes his headquarters.

At 8th level the daimyo offers the samurai the position of shugo (constable of a province).
If he accepts, the samurai takes on the duties of arranging for the protection of an entire province and looking after the daimyo's affairs in the province.
He is expected to administer justice and supervise the jito in the area.
The samurai automatically attracts 10d10 bushi as followers.
There is a 20% chance that one of these bushi is a ninja sent to infiltrate the household.
No more than one nija will ever operate in any household.
These bushi will be loyal to the samurai as long as they are adequately paid, housed, and fed, and the fortunes of their samurai master do not look too bleak.

At 9th level the samurai automatically attracts 2d10 samurai of 1st level.
These samurai will be absolutely loyal to the PC samurai, as befits his station.
In addition, 2-7 specialists (armorers, weapon-smiths, etc.) request to be taken into the character's service.
There is a 10% chance that one of these is a ninja sent to spy on the activities of the character (as a precaution).

GREAT KIAI: AT 9TH LEVEL THE SAMURAI ALSO GAINS THE ABILITY OF THE GREAT KIAI, OR PARALYZING SHOUT.
THIS POWER DRAWS UPON THE CHARACTER'S KI, EXPLODING IN A FEROCIOUS, WARLIKE SHOUT.
THE SAMURAI'S STR SCORE IS RAISED TO 18/00 FOR TWO ROUNDS AND
ALL ENEMIES WITHIN 10 FEET MUST SAVE VS. PARALYZATION OR BE STUNNED FOR ONE ROUND.
Stunned characters cannot move or attack and gain no AC bonuses for Dex and shields.
The great kiai can only be used once per day.
The character cannot use his normal ki power and the great kiai on the same day, as the great kiai severely taxes his inner strength.

Q: Can samurai PCs become daimyos?
If so, at what level?

A: Samurai characters can become daimyos
but not simply by virtue of level. The
character must first gain control of a
province, either by conquest or by imperial
decree (or both). Once control is
firmly established, the character becomes
a daimyo. The character must be at least
10th level in order to have the hierarchy
of followers described on page 22 of the
Oriental Adventures tome.
(151.8)

Q: What kind of property does a
samurai get at 9th level? How much
property does a jito get?

A: Samurai do not get property at 9th level;
they get the great kiai and followers. They
are offered stewardship, not ownership,
of various properties at earlier levels. A
jito (the stewardship offered to a 7th-level
samurai) generally manages one to three
villages for his daimyo.
(151.58)

As noted before, bushido (the way of the warrior) is a difficult road to follow.
At its center are the principles of honor, loyalty, and courage.
Some of the basic beliefs of this ethic are:

The samurai is obedient to his lord.
It is a samurai's right to protest against bad judgements or orders from his lord, and death is the final protest a samurai can make.
The samurai is ready to die at any time.
There is no such thing as failure, only death or success.
To die in the service of one's lord is the greatest service a samurai can render.
No dishonor can go unavenged.
Dishonor to lord or family is also dishonor to the samurai.
Mercy is not due the enemy.
All debts, both of vengeance and gratitude, are repaid.
Cowardice is dishonorable.

These precepts are embodied in the rules on honor presented later.
Samurai characters must maintain their honor above set values.
Failure to do so will result in the character losing their samurai status, becoming a ronin.
The ronin is a samurai without a master.
He may have disgraced himself and been expelled from his daimyo's service as a consequence.
He may voluntarily leave his master's service, especially if he must perform some act that would normally bring disgrace to his lord (such as slaying an ally of the daimyo who murdered a member of the character's family).
Thereafter, the character is treated as a ronin in all respects.
He retains the abilities of a samurai (except those relating to property and attracting fighting men).
He can still advance in level as a samurai character, but at double the normal XP cost.

A ronin can return to full samurai status, either with his old daimyo or a
different one, provided his honor is above the required level and the daimyo accepts him.
Once a ronin secures a position, he is treated as a normal samurai once again.
However, dishonorable actions will make him, distrusted, hated, and (worst of all) ridiculed by others.
A samurai gains little respect or power through reprehensible actions.
 

Q: When a samurai is granted a fief,
or when any character's family
owns land, how do you determine
what the property's resources are
and how many peasants live on it?

A: All of these details are up to the DM.
Common sense and what resources are
available in your campaign should govern
this decision. Pages 31-36 <(Family, Honor)> of OA give basic information that
will help you make decisions about family
resources. The population and productivity
of an area have to be determined by
the DM. The DSG,
WSG, and DMG
provide some information. Page 34 of
OA also has some information,
and the WORLD OF GREYHAWK
Fantasy Setting should provide some useful
examples.
(121.22)
 

Q: Page 22 of OA
seems to indicate that a samurai can
specialize with a katana using only
one slot. Does this special ability
also apply to the daikyu?

A: Paragraph two, page 22, is misleading.
The samurai uses two slots when specializing
with the katana, and must use three
when specializing with the daikyu.
(121.22)
 

0 LEVEL
* ki shout (18.00 Str for one round)
* [2] damage bonus
* [3] surprised only 1 in 6
* [5] immune to fear
* [6] cause fear
* [9] great kiai

<samurai minis: front, back. Citadel?>

1. SUBCLASS = cavalier
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM = roll on Birth Rank table required, at +10 if human or spirit folk. Korobokuru: ^ see above ^.
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
    STRENGTH = 13
    INTELLIGENCE = 14
    WISDOM = 13
    DEXTERITY = 6
    CONSTITUTION = 13
    CHARISMA = 6
    COMELINESS = 3
    PERCEPTION = <>
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE = korobokuru (6-7), human (U), spirit folk (12),
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES = none
6. HIT DIE TYPE = d10
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE = 9
8. SPELL ABILITY = no
9. ARMOR PERMITTED = any
10. SHIELD PERMITTED = none
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED = any (Proficiency in or use of ninja preferred weapons will lead to a loss of honor for the character.)
12. OIL PERMITTED = no (The use of oil in personal combat is unacceptable, but the character can use oil in siege warfare.)
13. POISON PERMITTED = only if evil
14. ALIGNMENT = LG, LN, LE
15. STARTING MONEY = 2-12 ch'ien + 1-10 tael (ch'ao) (10-120 gp + 10-100 sp)
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = *. **. L1: katanaspecialization (free @L1). L3 -> bow is required.
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY = -2
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES = *. L2 -> horsemanship is required. L6 -> calligraphy, painting, and poetry is required.
19. STARTING AGE = human: 18+1d4, korobokuru: 35+3d4, spirit folk: 35+2d4
20. COMBAT = fighter (5-8: 3/2) (9+: 2/1)
21. SAVING THROWS = fighter
22. MAGIC ITEMS = <as cavalier?>
23. FAMILY = required
24. HONOR =
    Entering into debt: -3
    Fleeing a fight: -10
    Forming an alliance with an NPC family: +1
    Gaining a court proficiency: +1
    Leading a losing force in battle: -4
    Leading a victorious force in battle: +3
    Losing item of quality: -5
    Losing magical item: -10
    Refusing one's lord: -3
    Taking a bribe: -1
    Taking prisoners: +1
    Using a ninja-preferred weapon: -3
25. SKILLS: 4@L1, 5@L2, 6@L3, 7@L4, 8@L5, 9@L6, 10@L7, 11@L8, 12@L9

* OA proficiencies work a little differently, with both WPs and NWPs using the same pool of points.
Samurai begin with 4 skill points. In addition to the bonus skill of katana specialization, samurai must use these 4 skill points for daikyu specialization and/or NWPs.

** Only samurai are allowed to specialize in two weapons at once, and these must be katana and daikyu.

1. SUBCLASS = n/a
2. SOCIAL CLASS MINIMUM =
3. ABILITY SCORE MINIMUMS
    STRENGTH =
    INTELLIGENCE =
    WISDOM =
    DEXTERITY =
    CONSTITUTION =
    CHARISMA =
    COMELINESS =
4. POSSIBLE RACES & MAX. LEVEL ATTAINABLE =
5. MULTI-CLASS POSSIBILITIES =
6. HIT DIE TYPE =
7. MAXIMUM NUMBER OF HIT DICE =
8. SPELL ABILITY =
9. ARMOR PERMITTED =
10. SHIELD PERMITTED =
11. WEAPONS PERMITTED =
12. OIL PERMITTED =
13. POISON PERMITTED =
14. ALIGNMENT =
15. STARTING MONEY =
16. WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
17. NON-PROFICIENCY PENALTY =
18. NON-WEAPON PROFICIENCIES =
19. STARTING AGE =
20. COMBAT =
21. SAVING THROWS =
22. MAGIC ITEMS =