The Shadowlands have closed in and it seems the scribes of Musha Shugyo have all fallen to the taint. In their last days surround by the hoards of Jigoku they searched through their libraries for all the information they could find on their enemy; the remains have been compiled into a final volume.

Musha Shugyo – Issue 4 – Barebones

For previous issues you should visit the downloads section.

Our thoughts go to the families of those that have honourably lost their lives in this endeavour.

To make it up to you the printer friendly version of issue 3 is now available from the downloads section.

Naga, Nezumi, Kenku, Shapeshifters and more, all have been given some attention. You may recall that we told you issue 2 was double sized and the biggest issue we ever planned to do – well it seems our courtiers were glossing over the truth with their sincere smiles, this issue clocks in at 122 pages.

We hope you enjoy and offer humble apologies for the delay, the responsible eta will be beaten and dishonourably executed. As always we would greatly appreciate any and all feedback.

We all hope to see you there soon.

Look forward to a preview in the near future, and in the meantime we hope you will take the time from your busy schedules to give us some feedback on our humble fanzine.

A questionnaire is available in two parts (due to the restraints of where the questionnaire is hosted):

Musha Shugyo Questionnaire, Part 1
Musha Shugyo Questionnaire, Part 2

Your answers will help us guide the future development of Musha Shugyo.

With the recent upheaval in the Celestial Heavens and the unbalance throughout the Empire a new Emperor is more vital than ever – to restore order and unite the Clans once more.

Due out this coming September, and fully legal for the upcoming Samurai Championships Global Events this year; for more information (and more previews) head over to the official Legend of the Five Rings site here.

Update (27/08/08): Acording to Todd this card was actually made specifically for Musha Shugyo, our very own vanity card. Many thanks to AEG for the honour.

Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot
Order will return.

You may recall that way back in March we said you could expect issue 2 of Musha Shugyo in June – if it’s not already apparent, that never happened, alas heavy snows hindered our progress.

To make it up to you this issue is a bumper sized double edition, it was necessary to fully detail all of the Minor Clans. So with no further delays Musha Shugyo Issue 2, The Minor Clans is now available for download!

Issue 3 will be taking a look at the non-humans of Rokugan, you can expect to see Nezumi put though a maze and a whole pit full of Naga to name but a few. Last of all, don’t forget about this issue’s competition – full details are in the download.

Update: The printer friendly version is now available in the downloads section.

My carefully placed agents have managed to acquire the results of this competition and relay them to me.

So, here are the three winning paths for the first Musha Shugyo competition along with two other entries that deserve an honorable mention.

Our thanks to all the participants, it was enjoyable and we do hope you will return for issue 2′s contest.

Ox Light Cavalry [Bushi]
by Michal ”Uszaty” Cenkowski

Shinjo Morito is a cunning man. When the time had come to ride to the Hidden Temple of the Kolat and guard it, he took his men and led them from the Unicorn lands to the unexpected formation of the Ox Clan. He is a good leader, a brave warrior who developed his unique kenjutsu school based on the training he has taken among Shinjo family. But Morito is not a fool. He knows that there is still much to learn from the family he was born in. After all Shinjo were among the most infiltrated group by Kolat agents. Lady Shinjo purged the family and now remaining samurai try to rebuild their reputation, but there might still be hidden followers among their ranks. Yet it was not very difficult for Morito to keep good relations with his former family. Weakened, the Shinjo gladly accepted friendship from one of the strongest Minor Clans in Rokugan. It is a perfect opportunity for high ranking Ox bushi to train once again with the Unicorn. What is more, the Ox Clan needs a strong ally in case of a Dragon or Lion Clan aggression. The Khan seems perfect for that.

Samurai from both Clans shared their experience to combine strength and hardiness of the Ox with speed and mobility of the Unicorn. Newly trained bushi formed new light cavalry units to complement formidable Ox Clan forces. They specialize in quick raids, flanking enemy units and horse archery.

Technique Rank: 4
Path of Entry: Ox Bushi 3
Path of Egress: Shinjo Bushi 1, Shinjo Scout 1 or Ox Bushi 4

Technique: Charge of the Mountains
While mounted you add double your Insight rank to your Initiative total and gain +1k0 on all Weapon Skill rolls. If you have a higher Initiative than your opponent, then you gain +1k1 instead. Your horse’s Water Ring is considered 1 higher for the purpose of determining its movement.

Hare Vigilante [Bushi]
by Michal ”Uszaty” Cenkowski

Widely known is the friendship between the Lion and the Hare Clans. After its dissolution and reestablishment, the Hare Clan tried to rebuild good relations with the dominant military power in Rokugan. The Hare Clan position benefits greatly from closer relations with the Lion, while the latter gains much knowledge about the Kolat, the Bloodspeakers and also a helping hand to improve relations with other Minor Clans.

The path of the Hare Vigilante is pretty exclusive. Only some of the best Hare fighters are able to impress Matsu sensei enough to obtain permission to learn the technique and later train in the Matsu Berserker School. Specific fighting style was developed by both Lion and Hare bushi during one of the yearly athletics competition at Shiro Usagi. The technique was named after one of the chapters from Akodo’s Leadership which seems to have a great influence on Vigilante’s swordsmanship.

Technique Rank: 4
Path of Entry: Usagi Bushi 3
Path of Egress: Matsu Berserker 1

Technique: Strike Hard and Quick
While you are on Full Attack posture you may retain your TN to be Hit bonus from your Defense skill and your opponents gain one less Free Raise against you. When using the Usagi Bushi rank 1 technique, Leap of the Hare, you may now add double you Athletics skill to your attack rolls.

Fox Spearman [Bushi]
by Daniel “Dbohr” Bezerra

One of the oldest Minor Clans, the Fox has always been pacific. Their history is rife with conflict, however, and after their re-location to the Kitsune Forest they had to occasionally guard their borders against conflicts from the three neighboring Great Clans and incursions from the Hare. Though they lacked the resources to maintain a formal bushi dojo, their spearmen were always noted for their prowess. During the Clan Wars, the Fox, the Sparrow and the Wasp Clans formed the Three Man Alliance and it was not uncommon for Kitsune bushi to train alongside the Suzume and Tsuruchi. Even now that the Tsuruchi and the Kitsune are part of the Mantis Clan, the cooperation with the Suzume is not forgotten. It remains to be seen if the Fox Spearmen will bloom into a full-fledged bushi school.

Technique Rank: 1
Path of Entry: None. This is an entry-level path.
Path of Egress: Any Ronin Bushi School at Rank 1, Suzume bushi 1

Benefit: +1 Agility
Honor: 2.0
Skills: Athletics, Defense, Hunting, Medicine, Kenjutsu, Spears (any one Emphasis), any one High or Bugei Skill.
Outfit: Any one spear, katana, wakizashi, light armor; kimono and sandals, traveling pack, 2 koku.

Technique: Quick as a Dart
The Fox know they cannot match the sheer power of the Great Clan armies, so they must defend their homeland with cunning and speed. You ignore the standard damage penalties of spear-class weapons. You also gain a bonus to Initiative rolls equal to double your Spears Skill ranks when wielding any kind of spear.

Honorable mention

Ichiro Vanguard [Bushi]
by Bjorn “Hida Akira”

Much as the ancestral duty of the Badger Clan—guarding Rokugan against an attack from the north—required them to be the first line of defense, the recent treaty between the Badger and their ancient cousins the Crab resulted in a number of Badger samurai standing on the Wall against the minions of Fu Leng. Their strength impressed the Crab enough to garner several of them invitations to study with the Hida.

Technique Rank 4
Path of Entry: Ichiro Bushi 3
Path of Egress: Hida Bushi 1

Technique: Brothers of the Mountains
The Ichiro have learned that raw ability to crush one’s enemies is not always enough—one must withstand their attacks as well, and the Crab are the perfect teachers for these lessons. Void points spent to reduce damage prevent 15 Wounds rather than the usual 10. You also negate Wound penalties and Armor penalties by an amount equal to your Strength. Finally, you may add your Water Ring to your TN to be Hit.

Kasuga Ruins Stalker [Bushi]
by Mikel Busch

The Tortoise clan took it upon themselves to police the ruins of Otosan Uchi against the further proliferation of the Shadowlands into the once Sacred City. The Crab, as pragmatic as they are, agreed to train a group of bushi for the sole purpose of scouting, infiltrating, and trapping the ruins.

Technique Rank 4
Path of Entry: Kasuga Bushi 3
Path of Egress: Hiruma Scout 1

Technique: Vigilant Watch
The Ruins Stalker’s sole purpose is to help maintain a constant state of readiness for the Tortoise and those who help to patrol the Ruins of Otosan Uchi, often maintaining watch in their assigned sector for days. The Stalker may maintain a normal wakeful state, without food, water, or other comforts, for a number of days equal to their Insight Rank. Furthermore, they gain a free raise on any roll to gain and/or maintain concealment from any threat, as well as detecting a threat.