Emerald Empire Previews

[ElSuave 273]

We're getting a first look at some school options from the Emerald Empire sourcebook being used for pre-generated characters at FFG's launch / signing party.

Kitsune Impersonator, Palace Guard, and Miya Herald

 

Edited October 12, 2018 by ElSuave

[Nheko 205]

Thanks for sharing!

[sndwurks 1,257]

Beat me to the punch.

This does confirm some of my earlier speculation about what we will be seeing in Emerald Empire in the way of crunch. I did not expect to see any Minor Clans materials, but with the inclusion of the Kitsune Impersonator, I suspect we might see write up and schools for Fox Clan, Sparrow Clan, and Wasp Clan along with the extra School for each Great Clan and 4 schools (Miya Herald, Otomo Manipulator, Palace Guard, and Hidden Guard) for the Imperials.

[Nheko 205]

I hope also to see some love for the Hare, Badger, Falcon, Centipede and Cat as well.

 

[TheWanderingJewels 226]

I just looked at the blurb for the Cat in the Base book. As Cat translates as Neko.....we have the Neko Ninja. Not sure if it was intentional, but it is a sort of nod to Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo. Which is perfectly fine by me as the Neko Ninja were very effective

[GM81 Protocol Droid 142]

I don't think the Kitsune Impersonator school is a Fox clan school, I think it might be a Fox spirit school. Fox spirits often impersonate people and would involve themselves in the lives of mortals. That is much earlier than I expected to see something like this!

Of course I could be wrong and in the new lore the Fox clan has such a school emulating the myths of Fox spirits. My suspicion if it was a school similar to previous editions Shosuro Actors then the character sheet wouldn't say Clan Lion Family Akodo. Either way I'm curious to see this.

Hooray for rules on Imperials. I am glad those rules are coming right away. The core book is pretty full, so understandable there was not room for it.

Edited October 12, 2018 by GM81 Protocol Droid

[TheWanderingJewels 226]

Kitsune Impersonator? Interesting. Having a few spirit options would be nice to keep players guessing

[llamaman88 430]

52 minutes ago, GM81 Protocol Droid said:

I don't think the Kitsune Impersonator school is a Fox clan school, I think it might be a Fox spirit school. Fox spirits often impersonate people and would involve themselves in the lives of mortals. That is much earlier than I expected to see something like this!

Of course I could be wrong and in the new lore the Fox clan has such a school emulating the myths of Fox spirits. My suspicion if it was a school similar to previous editions Shosuro Actors then the character sheet wouldn't say Clan Lion Family Akodo. Either way I'm curious to see this.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who thought that.

[AK_Aramis 1,002]

perhaps we get to play henge yokai... Tanuki? Kitsune? 

Edited October 12, 2018 by AK_Aramis

[Hida Jitenno 586]

I think we're missing the true biggest take-away from this: those sheets are all printed without handwriting. SOMEONE SOMEWHERE HAS A FORM-FILLABLE PDF CHARACTER SHEET.

[KveldUlfr 75]

11 hours ago, GM81 Protocol Droid said:

I don't think the Kitsune Impersonator school is a Fox clan school, I think it might be a Fox spirit school. Fox spirits often impersonate people and would involve themselves in the lives of mortals. That is much earlier than I expected to see something like this!

Of course I could be wrong and in the new lore the Fox clan has such a school emulating the myths of Fox spirits. My suspicion if it was a school similar to previous editions Shosuro Actors then the character sheet wouldn't say Clan Lion Family Akodo. Either way I'm curious to see this.

Hooray for rules on Imperials. I am glad those rules are coming right away. The core book is pretty full, so understandable there was not room for it.

This is what I saw, and what I hoped, as I already have a player who is remote that I wanted to add in from time to time, and I was planning on making them a Kitsune Spirit who took an interest in the group.

[Tonbo Karasu 2,606]

14 hours ago, Nheko said:

I hope also to see some love for the Hare, Badger, Falcon, Centipede and Cat as well.

 

Why don't you like the Dragonfly? ;_;

[Nheko 205]

38 minutes ago, Tonbo Karasu said:

Why don't you like the Dragonfly? ;_;

?? I apologize I missed them... ?

[Hida Jitenno 586]

14 hours ago, sndwurks said:

. I did not expect to see any Minor Clans materials, but with the inclusion of the Kitsune Impersonator, I suspect we might see write up and schools for Fox Clan, Sparrow Clan, and Wasp Clan along with the extra School for each Great Clan and 4 schools (Miya Herald, Otomo Manipulator, Palace Guard, and Hidden Guard) for the Imperials.

I actually forgot that Wasp had predated the SCC, and thus do already exist in this timeline.

I'm re-excited.

[TheHobgoblyn 352]

It is disappointing that the schools for the Imperials being printed are exclusively schools for the ones that are in and around the Imperial Palace.

Seppun are supposed to guard plenty of things besides the Palace. The ones at the Palace should be the elite of the elite, not the basic school. 
Is the guy who is assigned to protect the Brotherhood Monastery going to be calling himself a "Palace Guard" or are the random Seppun Investigator/Magistrates going to be referring to themselves as "Palace Guard"?

And the Hidden Guard are like 10 guys hanging around the emperor, that really shouldn't be representative of the shugenja of Lady Seppun's family. If you have a base Seppun shugenja PC, they certainly aren't going to be a "Hidden Guard", that should be a position they would be inspiring towards.

With all of the schools for the Clans so far, the names the schools are given could refer to pretty much anyone from the lowly rookie scrub that just barely passed gempukku from that school to the Daimyo of the whole family. But "Palace Guard" really indicates a particular location as well as a certain amount of status that one is not going to have right after passing gempukku.
 

Its like getting the Advanced Schools and no basic ones.

 

I suppose "Miya Herald" is generic enough though. That can be anyone from a person who delivers letters and scrolls around to various castles to judges overseeing tournaments or legal matters to the person who speaks before a large audience for the emperor himself so that the emperor need not raise his voice. Those are all "Heralds".

But "Palace Guard", I really hope that is renamed before the final printing of the book. And though "Hidden Guard" isn't there, it has been mentioned enough and 4th edition set the precedent of that being listed as a basic school instead of an elite position one must earn.

[Amanda the Panda 62]

Whilst I do not think this is the case, I think it would be hilarious if the Kitsune Impersonator was the or a Fox Clan school, but this one just happens to be married into the Lion

[sndwurks 1,257]

12 minutes ago, TheHobgoblyn said:

I suppose "Miya Herald" is generic enough though. That can be anyone from a person who delivers letters and scrolls around to various castles to judges overseeing tournaments or legal matters to the person who speaks before a large audience for the emperor himself so that the emperor need not raise his voice. Those are all "Heralds".

Lady Seppun was, historically, a priestess of the kami, so it would be strange if there was no Shugenja school for the Imperials. Regarding the Miya Heralds, it is basically the title for the Miya shisha who travel the Empire with the word of the Emperor (also delivering mail).

[TheHobgoblyn 352]

16 minutes ago, sndwurks said:

Lady Seppun was, historically, a priestess of the kami, so it would be strange if there was no Shugenja school for the Imperials. Regarding the Miya Heralds, it is basically the title for the Miya shisha who travel the Empire with the word of the Emperor (also delivering mail).

We have indication of other Seppun shugenja.

Although not mentioned often, they did appear in one of the supplementary L5R books in a form much more fitting of descendants of Lady Seppun-- the Seppun Astrologer. Seppun Shugenja who study the stars and do divination.

One could easily see that as a far more common shugenja tradition that can start from beginners and advance through the ranks. The Hidden Guard are a handful of the best of the best of the Seppun Shugenja who are specifically tasked with protecting the Emperor, especially from supernatural threats. That is an elite position.

 

I would certainly think that the average shugenja would start trained as an astrologer, if demonstrated great prowess would advance through the ranks and ultimately when they reached the pinnacle of their skill and outdid all of the rest of their peers, they would ascend to being a Hidden Guard. And those that never reached that high would be working throughout the empire as fortune tellers and diviners of portents. Before a marriage, particularly between two different clans, was approved, perhaps you might want to check out the horoscopes of those involved. Maybe they might even wander where they believed the stars had guided them so that they could arrive at an event of momentous occasion much as Lady Seppun herself did.

The average Seppun Guard would like-wise start off either assigned to magistrate duty to hunt down enemies of the empire in neutral lands or deal with the matters of minor clans who lack the power to deal with problems on their own lands the way Great Clans do. They might even be sent to investigate disputes between clans before they erupt into costly war. Others might be assigned to protect a monastery or guard imperial caravans (things such as supplies to the Kaiu Wall). If not either of those, they might find training in the Imperial Legions. Only those with the keenest eyes, sharpest minds, most patient spirits and quickest blades should ascend to become a guardian of the Imperial Palace.

 

So what I am saying is that "Hidden Guard" and "Palace Guard" are perfectly valid positions and both exist, but those are the most elite. It would be almost like the Isawa school being "Elemental Master". Granted there are only 5 Elemental Masters at any given time while there are considerably more Palace Guards (likely around 200), but there aren't supposed to be very many more Hidden Guard than that.

[AK_Aramis 1,002]

8 hours ago, Hida Jitenno said:

I think we're missing the true biggest take-away from this: those sheets are all printed without handwriting. SOMEONE SOMEWHERE HAS A FORM-FILLABLE PDF CHARACTER SHEET.

Not necessarily... it's more likely a template for indesign.

[Ultimatecalibur 597]

3 hours ago, TheHobgoblyn said:

It is disappointing that the schools for the Imperials being printed are exclusively schools for the ones that are in and around the Imperial Palace.

Seppun are supposed to guard plenty of things besides the Palace. The ones at the Palace should be the elite of the elite, not the basic school. 

Note that the school is Palace Guard and not Seppun Palace Guard or Imperial Palace Guard. The school could be intended as a fairly generic school intended to represent the various Palace Guards throughout Rokugan not just the Seppun Guards of the Emperor. I don't think you are assuming that Kitsune Impersonator is a Lion school are you? So why assume that Palace Guard is a Seppun exclusive School.

Also the Elite of the Elite are the Rank 5 Palace Guards near the Emperor. The lower Rank 1 to 3 Palace Guards are the ones standing guard at the gates, manning the watch towers and in general patrolling the halls.

Also, many a real world Royal Guard is in there early 20s only a few years out of basic training.

3 hours ago, TheHobgoblyn said:

Is the guy who is assigned to protect the Brotherhood Monastery going to be calling himself a "Palace Guard" or are the random Seppun Investigator/Magistrates going to be referring to themselves as "Palace Guard"? 

The Seppun Investigators/Magistrates are likely to get their own school, but the Palace Guard assigned to guard that Monastery might still call themselves a Palace Guard if they still believe themselves to be part of the Palace Guard (unit).