Special Abilities and Techniques	-	The Samurai Philosophy	-	Thieving Abilities and Combat
Dragon	Classes	-	Best of Dragon, Vol. II	Dragon 49

(Editor’s note: In response to numerous requests from readers for information about Samurai warriors for use in an AD&D™
or D&D® game, presented below is just such an article. The
author is Anthony Salva, who holds a first-degree black belt in
Hapkido, a Korean martial art. He describes his interpretation of
the Samurai as “an attempt to realistically portray the art of
Hapkido. All the techniques are as valid as possible.”
An earlier interpretation of the Samurai, created by Mike
Childers and Jeff Key, appeared in issue #3 of DRAGON™ magazine (October 1976).
Mr. Salva’s article differs from the earlier one in many major aspects, and is not designed as an expansion
or extension of the original article. It is possible that readers with
access to the earlier article may find ways to combine certain
aspects of each description.

In accordance with this magazine’s policy, the Samurai is
presented as a non-player character — a personality which the
DM may use to provide players with variety and new challenges,
but not one which the players themselves should be able to
assume as a player character. Allowing one or more players to
use Samurai characters could seriously unbalance an adventure or an entire campaign if precautionary measures are not
taken to prevent such unbalancing.)

The Samurai Warrior class is a subclass of the Fighter class.
Characters use the combat and saving-throw tables for Fighters.
Minimum scores of 15 Strength, 17 Dexterity and 15 Intelligence must be possessed for a character to be a Samurai.
A 10% bonus to earned experience is gained by a Samurai with 18 Dexterity and 17 or 18 Strength.

A Samurai may be one of the following races: gnome, halfling, elf, half-elf or human. A gnome, halfling or elf without an 18
Dexterity and 17 Strength is limited to the 9th level of experience. Other Samurai may progress as far as 12th level, the
highest level a Samurai can attain.

A Samurai may not use any armor at all, because the proper
exercise of his art requires the ability to move quickly and
effortlessly. A character’s base armor class improves as he advances in levels; an otherwise unprotected Samurai has an armor class of 9 at first level, and it improves by one with every four levels of advancement beyond first level. Even magical armor is
prohibited to a Samurai; aside from this, all magic items usable
by Fighters can be employed by Samurai. A Samurai may use
rings and cloaks of protection, Displacer Cloaks, Bracers of
Defense, or any similar item which provides the effect of wearing armor without hindering movement.
Normal weapons usable by a samurai include the two-handed
sword, the short sword, the bow and the staff. A Samurai of
fourth level or higher will have an opportunity to obtain and
possess his personal weapons, all of which are held sacred by
him. The weapons of honor — Katana, Wakizashi and Nunchakos — are described further under section “C” of Special Abilities and Techniques (below).

SAMURAI EXPERIENCE TABLE

Experience  Points	Experience Level	6-sided Dice for  Acumulated  Hit Points	Level Title
0 -- 3,000	1	2	White belt
3,001 -- 6,000	2	3	Yellow belt
6,001 -- 15,000	3	4	Blue belt
15,001 -- 30,000	4	5	Brown belt
30,001 -- 55,000	5	6	Samurai (Black belt, 1st Dan)
55,001 -- 110,000	6	7	Master Samurai (Black, 2nd Dan)
110,001 -- 250,000	7	8	Ninja (Black, 3rd Dan)
250,001 -- 450,000	8	9	Hatamoto (Black, 4th Dan)
450,001 -- 900,000	9	10	Daimyo (Black, 5th Dan)
900,001 -- 1,400,000	10	11	Tai-Pan (Black, 6th Dan)
1,400,001 -- 2,000,000	11	12	Taiko (Black, 7th Dan)
2,000,001+	12	13	Shogun (Black belt, red sash)

SAMURAI ABILITIES TABLE
                                  Damage/Attack:

Experience  Level	Armor  Class	Side Kick	Chop	Attacks per Round	Special Abilities and Techniques
1	9	1-8	1-4	1	-- -- --
2	9	2-8	1-6	1	A
3	9	2-8	1-6	1	B
4	9	1-10	1-6	1	C
5	8	1-12	2-8	1	D
6	8	2-12	1-10	1	E
7	8	2-12	1-10	3/2	F
8	8	2-12	1-10	3/2	G
9	7	3-12	2-12	3/2	H
10	7	2-16	3-12	3/2	I
11	7	4-16	2-16	3/2	J
12	7	3-18	4-16	3/2	K

Special Abilities and Techniques

A) Jump Front Kick: This is a leaping heel kick to the opponent’s chest or head.
The leap can be as great as the height of the Samurai attempting the kick, in either a vertical or horizontal
direction; thus, a Samurai who is 6 feet tall can employ a jump
front kick against a foe who presents a target no higher than 6
feet above the surface the Samurai is standing on and no further
than 6 feet away. This kick may only be employed once every
two melee rounds, and may not immediately precede or follow a
side kick. A jump front kick attack is attempted at -3 to the
Samurai’s “to hit” roll, and if a hit is scored the kick does 2-12
points of damage.

B) Judo Throw: This attack may be used against any character or creature attempting to overbear or grapple with the Samurai, as long as the opponent’s height does not exceed three
times the Samurai’s height. This also applies to any creature
which might jump on the Samurai from above, as long as the foe
is not smaller than half of the Samurai’s height. The judo throw
can be performed at any time, if the proper “to hit” roll is made,
when such an action is deemed appropriate or necessary. It is
done by grabbing the opponent’s upper torso, planting one foot
in the lower torso, then falling back and kicking upward with that
foot, tossing the opponent backward over the Samurai’s head.
The throw does an automatic 2 points of damage to any opponent except another Samurai, who would have the ability to roll
through the fall and resume a standing position without being
injured. Any other opponent will need one round to regain a
standing position, and during that round the Samurai will attack
at +2 “to hit” on each attack he makes.

C) Ceremony of Fealty; The Weapons of Honor: Upon attaining fourth level, a Samurai will receive his personal Weapons of
Honor from his liege lord. This presentation is part of the Ceremony of Fealty, which occurs when a Samurai is summoned
by the Shogun of his alignment to become the vassal of that
leader. In return for taking the vows of fealty, the Samurai receives his personal Katana, Wakizashi and Nunchakos.
The Katana (long two-handed sword) and Wakizashi (short
sword) are both made of intricately engraved handles attached
to slightly curved blades and are encased in wooden scabbards.
The Nunchakos are two extremely hard and durable staves of
wood, each 14 inches long, attached to each other at the ends by
a five-inch length of rope; this device is so difficult to manipulate
that no Samurai of less than fourth level will be able to use the
weapon.

All Weapons of Honor are usable by all Samurai who are able
to employ such weapons; for instance, a Samurai of third level or
lower who acquires a Katana or Wakizashi (from a dead warrior)
will be able to use the weapons at the damage figures outlined
on the table below. However, non-Samurai characters who acquire one of the Weapons of Honor will find that the Katana
performs as a normal long sword and the Wakizashi causes
damage as a normal short sword when used by those characters. Except in very rare instances, only a Samurai character
may use the Nunchakos with any success whatsoever.

The Weapons of Honor
                                                                          Damage vs. Opp.

-	Length	Width	Weight	Speed	S/M	L
Katana	5'	2"	80 gp	5	1-12	1-20
-	3'	11/2"	50 gp	5	1-10	3-18
Wakizashi	2'	1"	30 gp	2	2-8	1-12
-	1'	1"	20 gp	2	1-8	1-10
Nunchakos	14"	1"	10 gp	2	1-8	1-12

Note: The smaller versions of the Katana and Wakizashi are
designed for use by Samurai who are 4½ feet in height or
shorter.

D) Sweep (Knockdown) and Double Chop: At fifth level, a
Samurai acquires the ability to perform these two combat maneuvers. The Sweep is performed by stepping to one side of the
opponent, grabbing his upper torso and knocking his feet out
from under him with the Samurai’s front foot. The knockdown
does 1 point of damage (if “to hit” roll is made), and because the
opponent must take the next melee round to stand up, the
Samurai will strike at +2 “to hit” in that round, just as with a Judo
Throw. The Samurai receives +1 “to hit” the first time a Sweep is

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attempted against a particular opponent, and -2 “to hit” for each
subsequent Sweep attempt against the same opponent. In order
for the Samurai to use this technique, the opponent must be
bipedal and not more than twice as tall as the Samurai. If another
Samurai is the intended victim of a Sweep, the opponent may
attempt to counter the move and reverse it, at -3 on the “to hit”
roll for such an attempt.

The Double Chop is a variation of the chop attack in which the
same arm makes a continuous “figure 8” motion, striking the
opponent in the same location twice in rapid succession. If a
normal “to hit” roll is made as for a normal chop, then damage is
rolled separately for each blow. This attack cannot be used in
two successive melee rounds.

E) Crescent Kick/Side Kick Combination: The Crescent Kick
(a circular kick that strikes with the inside part of the foot) is
directed toward the opponent’s weapon hand. If it hits, the
weapon is knocked out of the opponent’s hand, and the Samurai
follows with an immediate, automatic Side Kick (no “to hit” roll
is required) as part of the same attack. The Crescent Kick is
performed at -2 “to hit” and does an automatic 1 point of damage
if it hits. Damage for the Side Kick is determined separately,
according to the Samurai’s experience level. The Crescent Kick-
/Side Kick Combination cannot be used in the round before or
after another form of kicking attack is employed.

F) Back Roundhouse Kick: This is a spinning back kick that
strikes with the heel of the foot anywhere on the opponent’s
body. It is done at -3 “to hit” and does 3-18 points of damage if a
successful hit is scored. Like other kicking attacks, it may not be
performed in two successive rounds and cannot be used in
combination with other kicking attacks immediately preceding
it or following it.

G) Illusionist Spell Ability: Beginning at 8th level, a Samurai
gains the ability to learn Illusionist spells. This ability increases
by level, so that a 12th-level Shogun has the same number of
spells usable as a 5th-level Illusionist.

H) “360” & Downward Kick: The “360” is a knockdown technique that is accomplished by grasping the opponent’s hand
and spinning oneself in a tight circle, twisting the opponent’s
wrist and making him fall to the ground. The Downward Kick is
then directed toward the downed opponent’s head or torso. The
“360” is attempted at -3 “to hit” and does 1-6 points of damage if
successfully performed, with a 30% chance of breaking the
opponent’s wrist if the “to hit” roll succeeds. If the “360” succeeds in forcing the opponent to the ground, the Downward
Kick is attempted at +3 “to hit” and does the damage of a Side
Kick if it succeeds. As with other attack forms involving a
knockdown, the Samurai can attack at +2 “to hit” in the round
immediately following the knockdown, except against another
Samurai.

I) The Slaying Hand: This power is usable once per month by a
Samurai of 10th level or higher, and may not be employed
against these types of characters and creatures: all undead, all
creatures who can be hit only by magical weapons, all creatures
or characters with more than twice the number of hit dice as the
Samurai, or any other Samurai of 10th level or higher.
When successfully applied, the power induces vibrations in
the opponent’s body as soon as the Samurai touches his foe.
The vibrations will cause death, either instantaneously or as
long as a month after the touching, depending on the frequency
of the vibration (which is under the control of the Samurai).
The use of the power requires the Samurai to remain absolutely still and in total concentration for three rounds, after which
the touching of the intended victim (by making a “to hit” roll
when the victim is within touching range) must be accomplished
within two rounds. If the Samurai’s concentration is broken
during the three rounds of preparation (treat as if the character
were casting a spell) or if the Samurai fails to touch a victim
within two rounds after preparing the attack, the power is dissipated and cannot be attempted again for a month,

J) Flying Side Kick: This attack is essentially identical to the
normal Side Kick, except that movement space is required, and
the damage potential is greater because of the momentum
caused by the leap. To perform a Flying Side Kick, the Samurai
must be positioned at least five feet away from the target, and no
further away than 2½ times the Samurai’s height. The kick is
attempted at -3 “to hit” and does 1-20 points of damage if
successful. It may not be employed in two successive rounds.

K) Psionic Ability: A Samurai who ascends to the rank of
Shogun has a base 25% chance to gain 30 points of psionic ability (roll for attack/defense modes and strength as per Players Handbook).
If a character who already possesses psionics achieves 12th level, the 30 points may be added to the already existing number.
<Technically, samurai do not roll for psionic strength: they have 15 Attack points and 15 Defense points>.

The Samurai philosophy
Samurai have a strong sense of honor and dignity. If a Samurai is humiliated or dishonored in any way (such as being bound
and gagged or having his weapons stolen), he is compelled to
seek immediate and absolute revenge, according to Bushido,
“The Way of the Warrior.” In order for a Samurai’s honor to be
restored, he must either obliterate his foe or die in the attempt. If
he fails to defeat and destroy his foe, the Samurai is further
dishonored and must, according to Bushido, immediately
commit seppuku, or ritual suicide.

The procedure for seppuku consists of grasping the Wakizashi in the left hand (if a Samurai’s personal short sword is
unavailable for this purpose, a normal dagger or short sword
may be used — but this further increases the Samurai’s dishonor), thrusting it into the lower abdomen and cutting upwards, then stabbing into the right side of the stomach and
slicing to the left side, and finishing by slitting the throat.
This is the only honorable way for a Samurai to die, other than
death in battle (which could also be dishonorable, depending on
the circumstances). A warrior of third level or lower is able to be
resurrected, no matter what the cause or circumstances of his
death; however, if a Samurai of fourth level or higher has died a
dishonorable death, he is considered to have broken his vow to
Bushido and cannot automatically be resurrected. If a dead
Samurai’s comrades and constituents feel there is no clear-cut
way to determine whether his death was honorable or not, they
may appeal to the Samurai’s liege lord (the Shogun of the same
alignment as the Samurai) for a judgement. There is a base
chance of 5% per point of Charisma of the dead Samurai that the
liege lord will grant the constituents an audience. If their plea is
heard, there is a base chance of 5% per each experience level
above third of the dead Samurai that the constituents’ appeal
will be granted by the lord, and the Samurai will be able to be
resurrected. Both of these chances for success should be modified at the DM’s discretion, depending on the circumstances.

Bushido also demands that once a Samurai’s Katana or Wakizashi blade is unsheathed, it should not be returned to its scabbard unbloodied.
The warrior’s code also forbids the use of poison as a cowardly and dishonorable act.
Because a Samurai of third level or below has not yet taken his
vows to abide by Bushido, he is not bound to uphold the code.
He may be resurrected regardless of the circumstances of his
death, but his actions in life and the way of his death will have a
bearing on how well he is received by his superiors when he is
called to take his vows at fourth level.

A Samurai may belong to one of five specific alignments: true
neutral, lawful neutral, neutral good, chaotic neutral or neutral
evil. Each of these alignments denotes a particular organization
within the Samurai class. There may be only five Shoguns at one
time, one for each alignment type, but there can be an unlimited
number of Samurai of each alignment at any lower level.

When a Taiko (11th-level) acquires enough experience points
to advance to 12th level (Shogun), the conflict must be resolved
by a duel to the death between the characters, or by one or the
other committing seppuku. In organizations of certain alignments, it is possible that the Shogun will be required to commit
seppuku as soon as an heir acquires enough experience points
to replace him. If a Taiko is compelled to have combat with a
reigning Shogun, he must either comply or immediately commit
seppuku.

A new Shogun will automatically acquire all the material possessions of the former Shogun.
The vassals of the former Shogun are not obligated to the new Shogun in any way, but most
will swear fealty to him rather than become ronin (a Samurai
who has no liege lord).

With the Shogunate goes the ultimate responsibility for fulfilling the purpose of that organization:
the domination of all other Samurai organizations (alignments), by force if necessary. The
Shogun who is the head of the superior organization earns the
right to wear the purple sash as Emperor of all Samurai for the
duration of his reign and his alignment’s supremacy.

Thieving abilities and combat
A Samurai’s training enables him to block attacks by nonedged projectile weapons by making a successful save vs. petrification.

Because of his tumbling and gymnastic abilities, a
Samurai is able to fall a distance of five feet per each two
experience levels without sustaining damage. The ability begins
at second level, increases to 10 feet at 4th level, 15 feet at 6th
level, 20 feet at 8th level, 25 feet at 10th level and 30 feet at 12th
level.

A Samurai relies on stealth much like a Thief does, and possesses the Thief abilities to Hide in Shadows and Move Silently,
with the same chance of success as a Thief of equivalent level.
Beginning at fourth level, a Samurai gains the ability to Read
Languages like a Thief because of his studies in ancient customs and archaic knowledge. Again, the chance for success
increases by level just as it does for a Thief.
Besides being able to attack with a weapon, a Samurai can
employ two basic means of weaponless attack, the side kick and
the chop. Damage caused by these attack forms increases as a
Samurai gains higher levels, as outlined in the Samurai Abilities
and Techniques table.

Using a side kick is a strenuous activity which can only be
attempted once in two successive melee rounds; thus, this attack form can only be used in combination with a weapon attack
or another weaponless attack, such as a chop or one of the
special techniques.

A Samurai is able to dive and roll over any obstruction which is
not taller than three-fourths of his height or longer than 2½ times
his height.

OUT ON A LIMB

Samurai I

Dear Dragonists,
As an aficionado not only of fantasy but of
the martial arts, I appreciated Anthony Salva’s
“Samurai” article, especially for its attempt to
incorporate specific unarmed-combat techniques
into play.

However, it may be argued that Mr. Salva’s
new character class departs further from the
characteristics of real-world samurai than
was necessary. (The real samurai, for instance,
did wear armor; and nunchakus were
not so much used by the samurai as against 
them, in the Okinawan and Korean guerrilla
resistance to Japanese conquest.)

I would still be glad to employ the “Salva
Samurai” as NPCs in an Oriental-type campaign,
but on this condition: There should
also, more or less independently, exist a
player-character “Samurai class” whose characteristics
would at once be modest enough
for PC use, and closer to real-world samurai.
(I have experimented with such in my own
campaign.) The Salva-created class would
then serve the same purpose as the Ninja
class described in past issues (#16 and #30) of
DRAGON magazine; in fact, both classes
could figure in an Asiatic campaign—and PC
samurai (and monks!) could get caught in the
middle of a feud between the two NPC classes.

Joseph R. Ravitts
Rockford, III.
(Dragon #51)
5
 

Samurai II

Dear Editor:
I have been studying the martial arts and its
history for over a year now and I am appalled
by your story on the Samurai NPC class in
issue #49 of DRAGON magazine. Although I
am sure that Mr. Salva is an excellent Hapkido
practitioner, his idea of what a Samurai should
be is most likely based on the modern martial
artist, and most assuredly it is not based on
the true Samurai of old.

According to the article, a Samurai can be
any one of five different races. Although I am
intrigued by the idea of an elven Samurai, I
cannot accept the thought of gnomes and
halflings roaming about the countryside claiming
to be great Samurai warriors. They simply
do not have the fighting spirit that is required
to be a Samurai; they would most likely use an
indirect method to accomplish what a Japanese
warrior would do in the most direct
fashion.

It was stated that a Samurai may not use
any armor at all, because the proper exercise
of his or her art requires the ability to move
quickly and effortlessly. I found this to be
ironic since on the opposite page was a
sketch of a Samurai in full armor. They did
wear armor in those days of the type illustrated
in the abovementioned drawing. This armor
was a mixture of leather, chain, and plate
armor forming a light, unobstructive, and
powerful suit of armor equal to elven chainmail
in all respects except for armor class
value which would be AC 4. It should be noted
that Samurais never use shields, since this
would encumber an arm which could be put
to better use.

The Level Title part of the Samurai Experience
Table is the silliest part of this chart
First of all, it should be noted that Samurais
did not progress in skill by the color belt system
which was devised in a more recent time
than that we are concerned with. At the 7th
level of experience the Samurai is titled a Ninja;
yet, a Ninja is considered by the Samurai to
be the lowest form of life ever created; if
anyone referred to a Samurai as a Ninja, the
warrior would promptly dispatch the poor
fool. At 10th level the Samurai is referred to as
a Tai-Pan— a Chinese term, not Japanese.

In the part titled “Special Abilities and
Techniques,” sections A, E, F, and J are all
obsolete because in general Samurais did not
study Atemijitsu (the Art of Striking) to a very
high proficiency, because more often than
not they and their opponents would be wearing
the aforementioned armor. Some did
study Atemijitsu to a high degree, but most
considered it to be “peasant fighting” for unarmored
opponents.

Concerning the “Weapons of Honor”: Last
heard, nunchakos was spelled Nunchaku and
it was used as a farming implement to flail
rice. It was considered to be a peasants’ weapon
and not worthy of one who was a member
of the Bushi class. Nunchakus would be considered
a dishonorable weapon, not a “Weapon
of Honor.” Some of the weapon sizes
given are incorrect. It says that the Katana
used by us big folk would measure five feet in
length, but this is a half-truth. The Katana
measures anywhere from two and a half to
five feet long, usually about three feet. A fivefoot-
long Katana would be called a Dai-
Katana or an O-Dachi, and would require
both hands to use, whereas the shorter Katanas
can be used with one hand (although two
hands would be used more often than not). As
for the Nunchakus, it is made up of two pieces
of 14” sticks with a 5” cord of horsehair rope,
totaling a length of 33” minus 6” for the hand
grip, or 27”.

The alignments a Samurai may represent
are listed as true neutral, neutral good, chaotic
neutral, neutral evil, or lawful neutral. This
list sounds more like the list for a Samurai
turned Ronin, a leaderless Samurai who holds
no title or position in the affairs of the country.
The author explains the concept of Bushido
and how it demands total loyalty from the
Samurai to his lord, and then he tells you that
only one out of five Samurai warriors are
lawful.

Thomas Stansfield
Eugene, Ore.
(Dragon #51)
 

Joseph and Thomas, and presumably lots
of other people, weren’t satisfied (to put it
mildly) with the Samurai NPC article, That’s
unfortunate, but not unsurprising. Whenever
we present an article of this type (a NPC
based on an interpretation of a historical figure),
we don’t expect everyone to agree with
the author’s interpretation. Then again, we
don’t get too many letters that express disapproval
as strongly as Mr. Stansfield’s letter
does.

But on second thought, considering the
subject matter in this case, maybe that’s not
too surprising, either. Many aspects of the
description of a Samurai, or any other sort of
oriental warrior-type, are subject to different
interpretations by different people with different
backgrounds in the study of Oriental
history and the martial arts.

Tony Salva's background, as pointed out in 
the text accompanying the NPC presentation, 
is in the art of Hapkido.  The "Samurai" calss 
he offers is drawn from that background.  If 
Mr. Stansfield or Mr. Ravitts or anyone else 
chooses to create a Samurai class drawn from 
a different background and based on different 
information, they are free to do so. 

We'll share the "blame" for what seems to 
be a major reason for Mr. Stansfield's distress. 
Based on the historical information he points 
out, it is apparent that "Samurai" was technically 
an inaccurate description for the NPC 
class which Tony Salva created and we published.  
The word was used as a generic term 
to describe an oriental warrior-type character 
which, if Mr. Stansfield's facts are correct and 
his reasoning sound, is not necessarily a 
samurai-type figure.

The only real test for an article such as this
is whether it works — whether the character
as presented is playable and able to be enjoyed
by players and DMs alike. We felt that
Tony Salva’s “Samurai” filled that requirement
when we accepted it for publication, and
we still feel that way.

— KM
(Dragon #51)
 
 

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