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Samurai

Samurai Class Codex Trimmed

Loyalty and honor—the Samurai prize these virtues above all. To lose them is a fate worse than death, and so the Samurai spends a lifetime devoted to their pursuit. When not actively in combat, Samurai eschew the pleasantries of life and spend their days training with sword, bow, and heavy armor, while also honing an unrivaled mastery of defensive martial arts. As such, in physical combat they are rarely bested, their desire to fight with honor being their sole weakness in many cases.

When their combat training is paired with years of battlefield and command experience, a Samurai may grow to become a master of the art of warfare, making them natural leaders in any situation. To gain the loyalty of a Samurai is to gain a faithful ally for life, however it comes at a cost, for a Samurai expects those whom they serve to likewise carry themselves with honor.

Their intense loyalty most often places young Samurai in the service of some manner of Lord or high ranking official, where service is rewarded with lands and titles. Samurai can grow to become very powerful in their own right. In the High Elven tradition, they may even rise to the lofty station of Shogun and rule over entire feudal societies. However, the Samurai way of life is one of extreme self sacrifice coupled with highly focused training and therefore outside of High Elven culture, true Samurai are rare though not unheard of.

Class Overview


Typical Roles: Tank, Support/Utility, Melee Damage, Ranged Damage
Damage Types: Physical
Class Mechanic: Honor and Focus

Available Races Initial Gold
Anakim 210.0
High Elf 240.0
Human 225.0
Minotaur 180.0

Default Stats: During Character Creation you may choose to use the default stat line shown below, before racial modifiers. This can be instead of rolling for stats, or if after rolling ten sets of stats you don’t like the results.

Default Stat Samurai
STRENGTH 11
AGILITY 10
STAMINA 11
INTELLECT 11
WISDOM 10
AVOIDANCE 9
PERCEPTION 10
RESOLVE 13
INITIATIVE 10
CHARM 10

During Character Creation you may choose to use the Default Stat Line, before racial modifiers, instead of rolling for stats, or if after rolling ten sets of stats you don’t like the results

Proficiencies

Natural Armor Proficiency: Cloth, Leather, Mail
Trainable Armor Proficiency: Plate
Natural Weapon Proficiency: Knives, Swords (including 2-Handed), Polearms
Trainable Weapon Proficiency: Bows, Firearms

See Equipment section for details. When using a weapon that your class is not proficient with, see Combat Penalties. There is no level or title prerequisite to train in a new proficiency, however you must receive the appropriate Training.

Class Skill

Class Passive Skill: Honour in Battle
Class Secondary Skill: (choose one) Dual WieldMilitary Training, or Combat Specialist (of Samurai’s choice)
note: If wishing to specialize in a particular combat style that requires weapons that the Samurai does not have as a starting proficiency, you may save the point to be spend at a later date

Primary Skills


Honor

For a Samurai Honor is held in higher regard than life itself. It is a sacred calling and life-long devotion, but also a powerful weapon and ally on the battlefield. The primary skills for an Honor class take the form of Oaths, Virtues, and Codes.

No training is required for Oaths and Virtues, as these are a function of the Samurai’s personal and imposed sense of honor. However Code training is typically facilitated by the Order to which the Samurai belongs or the Liege Lord that they serve. There a higher ranking Samurai will act as Mentor and trainer for one of the following Codes of the Samurai:

  • Bushido, “Honor or death” (default fist code)
  • Leader of Men
  • Sacred Quest
  • Feudal lord (in development)
  • Avengers Burden (in development)

Samurai cannot learn a previously unknown Code or Code Skill (i.e. putting the first code point into Feudal Strike) unless they are taught/instructed by a Mentor (aka Code Trainer) that knows the corresponding skill. If assigning additional code points to an already known code skill, then no trainer is required and the point can be assigned immediately (i.e. increasing the number of code points in Feudal Strike from 1 to 2). This represents an Samurai honing their skills rather than actually learning a new skill.

Focus

The Samurai pair conventional armed combat with traditional martial arts to supplement their skill set. Every Samurai Order will have its own traditions which they will teach to their members This means that most Samurai can receive training in Focus skills as part of their membership, provided they are in good standing with their Order. Samurai follow the standard methods for Learning New Focus Skills.

The maximum number of skill points that can be allotted to each focus discipline are as follows:

  • Fist: 10 skill points
  • Kick: 10 skill points
  • Armed: 30 skill points
  • Ranged: 10 skill points
  • Defense: 15 skill points

Level Ups


Samurai use the following chart for levelling up:

HP Dice (Hearty): Small Race (1d10), Medium Race (1d12), Large Race (1d12)

Notes:

  1. increasing the number of code points in Honor Strike from 1 to 2
  2. New focus abilities require training unless they are upgrades (i.e. Rank1 Heart Punch -> Rank2 Heart Punch), see Learning New Focus Abilities for details

Specializations


Specializations are recommended for advanced players only, and are accomplished through the Secondary Skill system (see Specialist Skills). Samurai may choose to specialize their skills in up to one weapon use and/or one combat style.

  • Max one Weapon Specialist skill (choose from: Knives, Swords, Polearms, Bows)
  • Max one Combat Specialist skill (choose from: Sword and Board, Freehand, Great Weapon, Paired Weapon, Freestyle, Sharp Shooter, Skirmisher, Peltast, Warder, Mounted, Pugilist, Physical Defense)

Title System


Feudal Order

Samurai gain titles based on their rank and standing within a feudal hierarchical Order of fellow Samurai. The Order of the Samurai is defined by merit and honor in battle, but also often paired with proficiency and wisdom in governance. Typically derived from High Elven culture, Samurai Orders are focused upon honoring and obeying a powerful central figure called a Shogun, who quite often is also a head of state in some form. Loyal service to the Shogun is rewarded by rank and title. In the case of smaller Samurai Orders, a Daimyo may take the place of this central figure.

The titles awarded by a Samurai Order are as follows:

Outlaw Titles

Ronin

A Ronin is a form of Outlaw Samurai that has not sworn an Oath to a specific Shogun, Daimyo, or Samurai Order, yet upholds the Oaths, Virtues, and Codes that would be typical of a Samurai. This could be simply because they have been prevented by circumstance or misconduct, or simply that they willingly choose not to swear an Oath. Though they are shunned, outcast and disrespected by other honor classes, they are not without Honor. In fact, sometimes their own sense of honor is what prevents them from serving an Shogun, Daimyo, or Samurai Order that they believe to be corrupt.

Given that they do not owe allegiance to anyone, Ronin are often regarded as mercenaries or Samurai for hire. However this does some Ronin a disservice, for they are also quite often willing to offer their sword for free in the defense of the weak or when honor otherwise demands it.

Ronin live and fight like any other honor class, following some oath or moral code all their own, or mimicking that of an Order they respect and look up to. Given the opportunity, many Ronin will pledge themselves to an Shogun, Daimyo, or Samurai Order later in life, provided they deem them worthy. Some, with enough experience and men to follow them, will  even attempt to establish their own Samurai Order.

Samurai are rare among non High Elven cultures, but rarer still among the other races are Shogun and Daimyo. As such, the majority of non-Elven Samurai will always be Ronin, unless they can prove to a Shogun or Daimyo that their loyalty and obedience is of worth.

Oathbroken

Unquestioned obedience to the Shogun or Daimyo, is one of the most basic Oaths that a Samurai must take. To disobey or question is to disgraced yourself. While some may have legitimate and even honorable reasons for doing so, Oathbroken are universally reviled and despised, treated with even greater contempt than a Ronin. For it is better to take no Oath of Obedience at all then it is to take and Oath and then break it.

The sole benefit of being Oathbroken is that you no longer lose honor for disobeying the will of a Shogun or Daimyo, who in their pursuit of power may ask a Samurai to do something that stands at odds with their own personal sense of honor. However to the Oathbroken, an oath means little and as such any Oathbroken Honor class CANNOT use Oaths in combat.

If an Oathbroken is later restored to Honor by rejoining their Order, or finding a new Shogun, Daimyo, or Samurai Order to pledge themselves to, they can retroactively gain Titles and codes based on the Order they have joined and are free to use Oaths once again.

Common Builds


coming soon…

Additional Lore


coming soon…

Notable Characters


Haieruf the Lost

One time thrall of the mysterious subterranean creature known as C’thulazon, Haieruf was freed by members of Heroes Guild just prior to the outbreak of the War for the Tindermoot. With his memories irreparably damaged by C’thulazon, he no longer remembers the quest he is honor-bound to fulfill in the name of the Shogun of the Solastaris Elves. Forbidden to return home until he can fulfill his oath to the Shogun, he instead became a pivotal character in the effort to defeat the Black Dragonflight and close the Maw of the Void.

He is perhaps best known for single-handedly saving the life of Basmoric, the feared Heroes Guild enforcer and leader of the secret police of the Guild City-State of Eleutheria. Haieruf is also known as the wielder powerful katana of mysterious origin, known as the Sword of the High Dragon, which he believes is somehow tied to his lost quest.

Demo Character


Haieruf the Lost is available as playable demo character:

Level 4 Samurai,  dual wield high avoidance multi-tank tank