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Equipment

Armor

Bogu

  • Bonus to Armor TN: +0
  • Damage reduction: 1
  • Price: 1 koku

Ashigaru armor

  • Bonus to Armor TN: 3
  • Damage reduction: 1
  • Cost: 5 koku

Tatami armor

  • Bonus to Armor TN: 4
  • Damage reduction: 1
  • Price: 10 koku

Light armor

  • Bonus to Armor TN: 5
  • Damage reduction: 3
  • Special rules: Wearing light armor increases the TN of all Athletic and Stealth rolls by 5.
  • Cost: 25 koku

Heavy armor

  • Bonus to Armor TN: 10
  • Damage reduction: 5
  • Special rules: Wearing heavy armor increases the TN of all skill rolls using Agility and Reflexes by 5.
  • Cost: 40 koku

Tetsu-do

  • Bonus to Armor TN: +13
  • Damage reduction: 8
  • Special Rules: Iron armor is considered heavy armor for the purposes of mechanical effects that specify armor type, including Techniques, Advantages, etc. Wearing iron armor increases the TN of all Skill Rolls using Agility or Reflexes by +10; if the wearer has a Strength of 5 or higher, the penalty is only +5 instead.
  • Price: 100 koku

Riding armor

  • Bonus to Armor TN: 12 on horseback, 4 otherwise.
  • Damage reduction: 4
  • Special rules: Wearing riding armor increases the TN of all skill rolls using Agility and Reflexes by 5, except on horseback.
  • Cost: 55 koku

Weapons

Arrows

Armor-piercing

  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Special rules: Ignores Bonus to Armor TN from armor.
  • Cost: 2 bu.

Flesh cutter

  • Damage rating: 2k3
  • Special rules: Doubles Bonus to Armor TN from armor; half range.
  • Cost: 5 bu.

Humming bulb

  • Damage rating: 0k1
  • Cost: 5 bu.
  • Special rules: Makes a whistle sound.

Rope-cutter

  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Special rules: Grants two Raises on call shots towards inanimate objects; half range.
  • Cost: 3 bu.

Willow leaf

  • Damage rating: 2k2
  • Cost: 1 bu.

Bows

Dai-kyu

  • Keywords : Small
  • Strength: 4 (minimum strength of 3 to wield)
  • Range: 500′
  • Special rules: Increases TN of all attack rolls by 10 on foot.
  • Cost: 25 koku.

Han-kyu

  • Keywords : Small
  • Strength: 1
  • Range: 100′
  • Special rules: Increases TN of all attack rolls by 10 on horseback.
  • Cost: 6 koku.

Yumi

  • Keywords : Large
  • Strength: 3
  • Range: 250′
  • Special rules: Increases TN of all attack rolls by 10 on horseback.
  • Cost: 20 koku.

Chain weapons

Kusarigama

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 0k2 (kama end), 0k1 (weighted end)
  • Cost: 5 koku.

Kyoketsu-shogi

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 0k1
  • Special rules: Doubles Bonus to Armor TN from armor.
  • Cost: 9 bu.

Manrikikusari

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Cost: 3 koku.

Heavy Weapons

Dai-tsuchi

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 5k2
  • Cost: 15 koku.

Masakiri

  • Keywords : Medium
  • Damage rating: 2k3
  • Cost: 8 koku.

Ono

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 0k4
  • Cost: 20 koku.

Tetsubo

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 3k3
  • Cost: 20 koku.

Knives

Aiguchi & Tanto

  • Keywords : Small
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Cost: 1 koku.

Jitte & Sai

  • Keywords : Small
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Cost: 5 bu.

Kama

  • Keywords : Small
  • Damage rating: 0k2
  • Cost: 5 bu.

Ninja weapons

Blowgun

  • Keywords : Medium, Ninja
  • Damage rating: 1
  • Range: 50′
  • Special rules: Triples Bonus to Armor TN from armor. Damages increase to 1k1 then 2k1 at Ninjutsu 3/7.
  • Cost: 8 zeni.

Shuriken

  • Keywords : Small, Ninja
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Special rules: Can be thrown up to 25′ as a ranged weapon.
  • Cost: 2 bu.

Tsubute

  • Keywords : Small, Ninja
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Special rules: Can be thrown up to 30′ as a ranged weapon.
  • Cost: 1 bu.

Polearms

Bisento

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 3k3
  • Cost: 12 koku

Nagamaki

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 2k3
  • Cost: 8 koku

Naginata

  • Keywords : Large, Samurai
  • Damage rating: 3k2
  • Cost: 10 koku

Sasumata

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 0k2
  • Special rules: Can be used to initiate a grapple.
  • Cost: 6 koku

Sadegarami

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Special rules: Can be used to initiate a grapple.
  • Cost: 6 koku

Spears

Kumade

  • Keywords : Large, Peasant
  • Damage rating: 1k1
  • Special rules: Breaks if inflicts 25 or more damage.
  • Cost: 3 bu

Mai chong

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 0k3
  • Special rules: Can be thrown up to 25′ as a ranged weapon.
  • Cost: 20 koku

Lance

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 3k4
  • Special rules: Damage reduced to 1k2 when not charging on horseback. Using without charging imposes a penality of 5 on horseback and 10 on foot. Breaks if inflicts 30 or more damage.
  • Cost: 20 koku

Nage-yari

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 1k2
  • Special rules: Can be thrown up to 50′ as a ranged weapon.
  • Cost: 3 koku

Yari

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 2k2
  • Special rules: Can be thrown up to 50′ as a ranged weapon. Damage rating when thrown is 1k2.
  • Cost: 5 koku

Staves

Bo

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 1k2
  • Cost: 2 bu

Jo

  • Keywords : Medium
  • Damage rating: 0k2
  • Cost: 1 bu

Machi-kanshisha

  • Keywords : Medium
  • Damage rating: 0k2
  • Cost: 20 koku

Nunchaku

  • Keywords : Small, Peasant
  • Damage rating: 1k2
  • Cost: 3 bu

Sang kauw

  • Keywords : Medium
  • Damage rating: 1k2 (crescent blade), 2k1 (shield sang kaw)
  • Cost: 10 koku

Tonfa

  • Keywords : Medium, Peasant
  • Damage rating: 0k3
  • Cost: 5 bu

Swords

Bokken

  • Keyword: Samurai
  • Damage rating: 0k2
  • Special: Reduction from armor is doubled against a bokken.

Katana

  • Keywords : Medium, Samurai
  • Damage rating: 3k2
  • Special rules: Can spend a void point to increase damage by 1k1.
  • Cost: cannot be bought. (Effective value : 25 koku)

Ninja-to

  • Keywords : Medium, Ninja
  • Damage rating: 3k2
  • Special rules: Counts as small for concealment. Breaks if inflicts 40 or more damage.
  • Cost: cannot be bought.

No-dachi

  • Keywords : Large
  • Damage rating: 3k3
  • Cost: 30 koku

Parangu

  • Keywords : Medium, Peasant
  • Damage rating: 2k2
  • Special rules: Breaks if inflicts 30 or more damage.
  • Cost: 10 bu.

Scimitar

  • Keywords : Medium
  • Damage rating: 2k3
  • Cost: 20 koku

Shinai

  • Keyword: Samurai
  • Damage rating: 0k1
  • Special: A shinai’s damage dice cannot explode.

Wakizashi

  • Keywords : Medium, Samurai
  • Damage rating: 2k2
  • Special rules: Can be thrown up to 20′ as a ranged weapon.
  • Cost: 15 koku

War fans

War fan

  • Keywords : Small
  • Damage rating: 0k1
  • Cost: 5 koku.

Crafting Extraordinary Weapons

Skilled weaponsmiths are capable of creating unusual and high-quality items… assuming they have the proper materials, equipment, and time. Weapons crafted by the basic rules in the L5R 4th Edition Core Rulebook conform to the normal weapon stats in the L5R rules and are considered to be of “Average” quality. Weapons of higher quality are said to be “Excellent”; such weapons possess special properties that set them apart.
To create an “Excellent” weapon, the regular Crafting rules are used. However, the cost of materials and the koku value of the weapon are both tripled. This means an Excellent Wakizashi will have a value of 45 Koku, an excellent Naginata will have a value of 30 Koku, and so forth. (Use this value when determining the base TN for Crafting the weapon.)
A smith must have a Craft: Weaponsmithing Skill Rank of at least 7 to create an Excellent weapon. A Kaiu or Tsi smith may create an Excellent weapon with a Skill Rank of at least 5.

A smith who creates an Excellent weapon may call Raises to confer one Special Quality on the weapon. However, failure on the Crafting roll means the weapon is wholly ruined and useless; the smith must try again. A list of Qualities and the associated Raises is provided below. Characters trained in the Tsi or Kaiu schools receive one Free Raise for the purpose of conferring Special Qualities.

Weapon Special Qualities:

  • Balanced: The wielder gains +1k0 on attack rolls using this weapon. Raises: 4
  • Radiant: This weapon counts as Jade for the purpose of attacking Invulnerable targets. Raises: 6
  • Signature: This weapon bears a unique signature stamp, identifying it with its creator. Raises: 2
  • Swift: The wielder gains +5 to his Initiative score while using this weapon. Raises: 4
  • True: This weapon decreases the target’s Reduction by the wielder’s Strength. Raises: 6
  • Unbreakable: This weapon cannot be broken. Raises: 5

Crafting Sacred Weapons

A smith of a clan that possesses a Sacred Weapon (as per the Advantages in the L5R 4th Edition Core Rulebook, page 152-153) may attempt to make one using a Craft: Weaponsmithing roll. The smith must create the appropriate Excellent Quality weapon with 7 Raises (6 Raises for a Kaiu smith).

A samurai may only attempt to create a Sacred Weapon of his own clan. A Crane can only attempt to make Kakita Blades, a Crab may only attempt to make Kaiu Blades, and so forth.

Rokugani Firearms

Rokugani firearms can be incorporated into many different campaigns, whether or not the GM wants to take things as far as they are presented in Iron Rokugan. In feudal Japan, simple firearms were imported from the Chinese as early as the 1200s, and matchlock guns were common during the Sengoku period of 1467 to 1604. Even Miyamoto Musashi mentions firearms in his text on Japanese warfare and philosophy, “The Book of Five Rings”, saying that the gun was unrivaled on the battlefield until swords were drawn. Even though they were relatively common and helped decide many battles, Japanese firearms did not hold a predominant role in warfare, and were often considered a secondary weapon to the Yumi due to their limited range, slow reload time, and poor accuracy. Skilled archers and swordsmen were far more common than skilled gunners; techniques had to be developed to get the most out of firearms, and they were usually placed in the hands of lower class troops. On the other hand, at the battle of Nagashino the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga all but annihilated the cavalry forces of the Takeda Clan with a strategy that relied on volley fire with muskets.

GMs who wish to incorporate firearms into a non-Iron Rokugan setting can do so via an Imperial Edict calling upon the Great Clans to reproduce the firearms of foreign powers while still maintaining the ban on trade and communication with gaijin nations. To better re-create the climate of early Japanese firearms, it is suggested that only the Kakiyari, Teppo, and Bajozutsu be incorporated, and that only the Bajozutsu should have the Samurai keyword. Rokugani firearms require three Complex Actions to load (or reload). When fired, they ignore the effects of armor on Armor TN and Reduction. Although unspecified, GMs might rule that the user’s Perception is added to the gun’s damage roll, much like Strength for most weapons.

Teppoudo (Intelligence)

Sub-type: Weapon Skill
Emphases: Fire-Lance, Hand-Cannon, Bajozutsu, Teppo
Description: Teppoudo is the skill of maintaining and firing a Rokugani (non-gaijin) firearm. Taught alongside the traditional arts of Kenjutsu and Kyujutsu, the art of Teppoudo places a great emphasis on mindfulness, calm deliberate intentions, and careful breathing. It is just as much a practice of zenlike focus as it is a test of rote and memory. The samurai does not merely pull the trigger- he pushes the bullet.
Mastery Abilities:

  • Rank 3 – Gain +1k0 to all damage rolls when firing a Rokugani firearm
  • Rank 5 – Loading a Rokugani firearm requires one less Complex Action
  • Rank 7 – Gain +0k1 to all damage rolls when firing a Rokugani firearm

Kakiyari (Fire Lance)

  • Keywords: Large, Firearm
  • Range: 50 feet
  • DR: 3k2
  • Price: 8 Koku
  • Special: The Fire Lance can be wielded in melee as a Yari. If so, its DR is 1k1 and it cannot be thrown accurately. A normal Fire Lance such as this can only be fired once.

Bo-Hiya (Fire Arrows)

  • Range: 100 feet (regardless of bow used)
  • DR: 3k3
  • Price: 1 Koku
  • Special: Fire Arrows explode when they land. Their damage ignores all forms of Reduction.

Hand-Cannon

  • Keywords: Large, Firearm, Heavy Weapon
  • Range: 20 feet
  • DR: 4k3
  • Price: 25 Koku
  • Special: The Hand-Cannon ignores Reduction from natural toughness. It can only be fired once. The Hand-Cannon can be wielded in melee as a Tetsubo.

Bajozutsu

  • Keywords: Small, Samurai, Firearm
  • Range: 20 feet
  • DR: 3k2
  • Price: Due to the sacred nature of the Bajozutsu and the complexity of the weapon’s manufacture, they are not normally available for sale.
  • Special: The Bajozutsu can be drawn from its sheath with the Iaijutsu skill.

Teppo

  • Keywords: Large, Samurai, Firearm
  • Range: 150 feet
  • DR: 3k3
  • Price: 30 Koku
  • Special: At half range or less, the Teppo ignores Reduction from natural toughness.