The End of the Hantei Rules

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This page has rules changes and conversions to better handle L5R's setting and genre assumptions.

Combat Rules

Dual wielding: Using a weapon in each hand gives -2 to Combat Skills if the weapon is Small or -5 if it is 1-handed in exchange for a +3 shield bonus. You also have the advantage of choosing which weapon to attack with each turn. If both weapons are identical you also increase the damage you deal by +1d6.

Tied Attack Rolls: Instead of counting as a failure for both fighters, ties counts as normal successes for both. Thus damage is inflicted to both.

Critical Success: Rather than treating all Crits as a roll of 20 use the actual result or 20 whichever is greater. You only deal double damage if the enemy fails or has a normal success. If the opponent has a Crit with a lower value treat that as a Minor Success and do only normal damage. On a tied crit both fighters take normal damage.

Weapon Breakage: On a Fumble your weapon breaks as normal. You may also choose to break your weapon on a Minor Success to gain a shield bonus to your armor: Small or hafted weapons grant +3, metal weapons +6. Two-handed weapons and Katana grant an additional +3. This bonus is cumulative with all other shield bonuses. If you are wielding 2 weapons you may choose to break either of them on a Minor Success. On a Fumble your opponent chooses which breaks.

New Skills

• Artisan: Replaces Industry. You must select a specialty. Separate specialties are entirely separate skills. You gain Glory if you create a gift and present it in public.
• Calligraphy: You always gain Ordinary Glory when using Calligraphy if you display your works.
• Lore: Education of all kinds not covered by other skills. You must choose a specialty as per Artisan.
• Meditation: Used to recover Passions, Spells and Kiho. Successful use of meditation prior to an activity can grant a bonus to the first skill roll used at GM discretion.
• Shadowlands Lore: Replaces Faerie Lore, used to identify Tainted creatures and landmarks in the Shadowlands.
• Spellcraft: Used to learn and identify magic.
• Tea Ceremony: Gain Ordinary Glory and participants can recover use of Passion or snap out of Melancholy.

Skills by Category

High Skills

These are the refined skills seen most often in the courts.

• Acting
• Artisan
• Calligraphy
• Compose
• Courtesy
• Dancing
• Gaming
• Fashion
• Flirting
• Heraldry
• History
• Intrigue
• Lore
• Orate
• Play
• Recognize
• Romance
• Singing
• Tea Ceremony

Bugei Skills

These are the skills of the warrior.

• Awareness
• Hunting
• Swimming
• Battle
• Siege
• Horsemanship
• All Weapons

Merchant Skills

These are professional skills either practiced mainly by heimin or by samurai whose duties require them.

• Chirurgery
• Falconry
• First Aid
• Folklore
• Meditation
• Religion
• Sailing
• Spellcraft
• Stewardship

Low Skills

These skills are never suitable for use in public. Samurai risk honor loss when using them unless their use is absolutely needed.

• Shadowlands Lore