Looks really slick.

Thank you all for the answers, and @Tonbo Karasu, please, I'm willing to write properly, so I am open to any feedback you can give me
 

So, this is something I had promised @Magnus Grendel on another topic about fleshing out the fast rules we used for mass combat. So here we go:
Armies
Every army is composed of five Rings, Composure and Stamina, just like a character and Tactics and Command. The difference being, that if the commander of an army has a better attribute than the army, then the commander's attribute is used. Skills are always the skills of the commander, though.
Peasant Levy: basically just a bunch of peasants with no formal training and using makeshift weapons and farming tools. Air 1, Earth 2, Fire 2, Water 1, Void 1. Stamina 8, Composure 6. Command 1. Ashigaru Army: the backbone of every Rokugani army, an Ashigaru army is composed mainly of drafted and trained peasants and a few Samurai officers. Air 2, Earth 2, Fire 2, Water 2, Void 1. Stamina 8, Composure 8. Command 2, Tactics 2. Rōnin Army: a mercenary unit hired by the Great Clan, mostly looked down by Great Clan Samurai, they can turn the tide of a battle. Air 1, Earth 3, Fire 3, Water 1, Void 3. Stamina 12, Composure 8. Command 3, Tactics 3.  Samurai Army: an army composed of only samurai, possibly being the most elite unit on a campaign. Air 2, Earth 3, Fire 3, Water 3, Void 2. Stamina 12, Composure 12. Command 3, Tactics 3. The idea of the whole thing is to Compromise or Incapacitate the enemy's army (in one, you completely rout them, on the other, they are completely destroyed). Every day of combat gives you two rolls and if, at the end of the day, any of the armies are not cut off from supply lines, they can reduce their fatigue and strife to half.
You use the same rolls for Mass Combat but instead of inflicting/recovering attrition and panic, you inflict/recover fatigue and strife and they are compared to the Stamina and Composure of the unit.
It works way faster, with a not so shabby commander, you can defeat most units in a day of combat with 3 rolls (one for initiative, two for two assaults), instead of rolling infinitely trying to reach 30+ something for panic or attrition.

i would delay the 3. point to the time of activating the ward.
this way the 3 strife elemental effect occur not at the calm time of writing the ward but when the elemental power is unleashed.
this also gives you the opportunity of handing someone the ward a telling them that it is as fickle as it is powerful.
i would also have the strife be applied to whomever uses the ward if it is giving away to be used by a friend, and the caster if used as a trap.

She might also have papers of free passage, and the pc's might have to procure some paperwork first.
Cant recall how long the trip is but if it's any more than 2 days it will also take some planning, after all i bet most of the pc weren't planning on taking that trip before they started their journey.

plus you might technically have to report back to you lord for permission even though it will be granted due to Sumikos status no doubt.

She might also have papers of free passage, and the pc's might have to procure some paperwork first.
Cant recall how long the trip is but if it's any more than 2 days it will also take some planning, after all i bet most of the pc weren't planning on taking that trip before they started their journey.

plus you might technically have to report back to you lord for permission even though it will be granted due to Sumikos status no doubt.

You might consider looking at the NPCs' Demeanours.  I don't think anything as dramatic as changing the TN for the actions involved, but something social as suggested above.
For example, the Venerable Provincial Daimyo is Assertive.  This makes Earth social checks against them harder, and Air ones easier.  If, for example, said Daimyo is judging a duel, they might take 2 points off someone whose preferred approach was Earth and give 2 bonus points to someone whose preferred approach was Air, because that's the way they think things should be.

The starter Kit kinda does this for some of the challenges, as the judges state what they are looking for and it grants a small point bonus to the running tally.
like
"
"Remember," the judge says, “In sumai, as in life, a steady
, stance creates a solid foundation for success."
"
and
"
The judge nods. "The best way to overcome the obstacles
of your fate is by being flexible enough to adapt to them."
"


I suspect it mainly has to do with trying to teach people that some approaches are better suited for some situations but still, it sets a foundation that some people prefer some approaches and react positive to them. Even without it impacting the TNs

How I'm reading the Soshi school ability, yes you can use the ability without having to make a roll (for people with a vigilance lower than or equal to their school rank). And I would say that it would be instead, but that probably depends on the narrative and how the GM would interpreted the situation. But you could argue that, when making a stealthy invocation in close approximation of a person with vigilance higher than them and the TN would be lets say TN 4, a Soshi shugenja could perform that invocation for TN 2. That would be in line with the lore I think.

Try to talk to your players about the 'issue'.

Maybe it isn't as bad as you thought, maybe it's even worse.
The important thing here is not to start pushing and pulling mechanical levers to coerce them, but instead make sure that everybody is on the same page about what you are all playing and what the numbers mean.
In short be Open, Honest and Cordial.
But must importantly talk with the group.

Try to talk to your players about the 'issue'.

Maybe it isn't as bad as you thought, maybe it's even worse.
The important thing here is not to start pushing and pulling mechanical levers to coerce them, but instead make sure that everybody is on the same page about what you are all playing and what the numbers mean.
In short be Open, Honest and Cordial.
But must importantly talk with the group.

Try to talk to your players about the 'issue'.

Maybe it isn't as bad as you thought, maybe it's even worse.
The important thing here is not to start pushing and pulling mechanical levers to coerce them, but instead make sure that everybody is on the same page about what you are all playing and what the numbers mean.
In short be Open, Honest and Cordial.
But must importantly talk with the group.

Try to talk to your players about the 'issue'.

Maybe it isn't as bad as you thought, maybe it's even worse.
The important thing here is not to start pushing and pulling mechanical levers to coerce them, but instead make sure that everybody is on the same page about what you are all playing and what the numbers mean.
In short be Open, Honest and Cordial.
But must importantly talk with the group.

Rise, Flame Rank 4 (pg 204)
"If you succeed, you summon a Manifest Fire Kami (see page 324). It consumes the flammable material, appearing in its position. It obeys you for two rounds, plus additional rounds equal to your bonus successes,"
and it has some mechanics for setting lots of stuff on fire.

or

Fury of Osano-wo Rank 3 (pg 203)

"The target suffers supernatural damage equal to your Fire Ring plus three times your bonus successes. If a target is Incapacitated by this damage, they suffer a critical strike with severity of 8"
and it can scale more

seems like the most Kaboomy i can find in the core book.

An alternative would be that a great clan could 'sponsor' the minor clan by sharing the spot light, and their position in the queue.

Yes, I consider their contributions harmful.  However, I have no power to prevent them from being harmful, because I am not a moderator of this forum, or a member of staff at FFG.  I am sorry that you have felt driven away, and am angry with the people who did it.
What I can, and do, do is to try to provide useful advice to new people when they pop up, maintain a couple of Google sheets that are of use to the community and make them generally available, sometimes put out my own bits of homebrew like a Dragonfly school, and even start a thread trying to assess what fans think would be worth adding to the game as it stands.
If I may make a comparison, unfortunately political but it's where we are.  Their is a current vocal minority of Americans that are racist, misogynistic and borderline fascist.  By your approach, every American is part of and enabling a toxic culture.  I do not think that is correct, so I cannot accept that the FFG L5R RPG community as a whole is toxic.

I'm sorry, but setting them to mute shows that you knew that their contributions were harmful and you simply closed your ears to them. Newcomers wouldn't have them pre-muted so... they hit the wall of venom and walked away. To paraphrase, all that is required for poison to triumph is for for good people to hit mute. A healthy community shuts down that behavior. The sad thing is that you agree with me that the community was one cause of the demise; you didn't disagree, you identify as part of the community, you just didn't want to be tarred with the same brush. It doesn't matter what some individuals are like, either the community is toxic or it isn't. If you're part of a toxic community you're part of the problem. I'm not saying that you're a bad person, I'm sure you're a lovely person, but you're part of the community that drove people like me away. Just think on that in whatever game or community you find yourself in next.

I'd like to object to this.  It's not 'us guys' there are a couple of names that come up time and again, in multiple places, belittling the designers, talking about how dreadful it is even when the topic is something else.  I have set them to mute.  Most of the community is supportive and helpful, trying to expand areas that aren't being looked at elsewhere yet, and I enjoy being part of it.

I had one of my samurai throw herself to the ground acting like some sort football/soccer player getting clipped, only to realize the arrow only nicked the kimono.

I had one of my samurai throw herself to the ground acting like some sort football/soccer player getting clipped, only to realize the arrow only nicked the kimono.

I had one of my samurai throw herself to the ground acting like some sort football/soccer player getting clipped, only to realize the arrow only nicked the kimono.

Indeed.  There is likely to be much symbolism about them taking off one mask and donning another permanently.  "Becoming the mask" as it were.

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BecomingtheMask

 

I would assume no, as they are no longer scorpions.

Besides this gives the opportunity for some sort of high emotional unmasking ceremony among the closet family members, before their beloved leaves to become part of another clan.

I would assume no, as they are no longer scorpions.

Besides this gives the opportunity for some sort of high emotional unmasking ceremony among the closet family members, before their beloved leaves to become part of another clan.

Yeah, Avatar is not representative. I'm not the only one, I think, who has him on block at this point.
The game's not perfect, but it is a lot of fun.
And ****, the art. For me, Francesca Baerald's maps are the best bit because those are sweeeeeeet but really all of it is gorgeous.