The Scorpion Clan
While the Lion is the Emperor’s right hand with the Crane as his left, the Scorpion became his underhand. At the expense of their own alienation, the Scorpion samurai made themselves the villains of Rokugan, becoming the secret keepers of the Emperor. You never know if a Scorpion is telling you the truth or if he is lying… because he can gave advantage with either one. In a society that values sincerity over honesty, you can never fully understand the machinations of the Scorpion. The Scorpion are known for deception, double-dealing, and loyalty… unto themselves, at least.
When Bayushi founded the Scorpion Clan, he vowed to the first Hantei that he would always act to protect the Empire from threats within. To that end, the masked Scorpion have sacrificed their honor for the honor of the Empire. They use deception, trickery, blackmail, assassination, and any other number of dishonorable behaviors all in the name of the Hantei.
Clan Colors: Red on Black
Daimyo: formerly Bayushi Shoju, since the Coup the clan is disbanded and has no Daimyo
Personalities: Empress (formerly Bayushi) Kachiko, Bayushi Aramoro (Kachiko’s yojimbo), Yogo Junzo (now herald of Fu Leng)
Families:
- Bayushi
: Their tongues are equally as quick and sharp as their blades. As heads of the Scorpion Clan, no secret fails to reach their ears.
- Shosuro
: The Shosuro are masters of disguise and impersonation. This makes them ideal spies and assassins.
- Soshi
: These mysterious shugenja are the keepers of dark magic. None but the Scorpion know to what end they use their shadowy powers.
- Yogo
: Originally born out of the Phoenix Clan, Yogo are an ill-fated family in many ways. They carry in their blood an ancient taint, and they are also the protectors of the foul Black Scrolls.
Dojos:
- Bayushi Bushi Dojo
: Quick and deadly, the Bayushi Bushi bring a sharp mind and a sharp blade to the battlefield. Be wary, their fighting style is deceptive… they’re never doing what you think they are… unless that’s what you expect.
- Bayushi Courtier Dojo
: As dangerous as their bushi brethren. The Doji courtiers may rule the thrones and legislation of the courts, but the Bayushi rule the courtiers themselves. Blackmail and careful manipulation are the watchworks of these snakes in the grass.
- Soshi Shugenja Dojo
: The Soshi bind their tejina (shadow magics) into Scorpion samurai through the kage yakiin (shadowbrands). These brands grant the power of darkness itself to their bearer.
- Yogo Kuwasu Dojo
: The Kuwasu (ward magics) of the Yogo has guarded the secrets of the Scorpion for a thousand years.
- Shosuro Butei Dojo
: The Shosuro butei (actors) perform not only on the stage, but also in life as the finest spies and impersonators in Rokugan. It is rumored that many high-ranking members of the other clans have, in fact, been replaced with Shosuro butei.
- Shosuro Shinobi Dojo
: The darker side of the Shosuro. The shinobi (assassins) use disguise, infiltration, poison and the other forbidden arts of ninjutsu to "remove" their targets.
Special Notes:
- All members of the Scorpion clan wear masks (even hinin), unless it serves them best not to. This varies from a thick, ornate battle mask worn by bushi to more subtle silk veils favored by the courtiers.
- For any bushi to leave the Bayushi Dojo they must first pass their gempukku (initiation ceremony) which includes an Iaijutsu test. Therefore all Scorpion Bushi have the Iaijutsu skill.
Iaijutsu
Base Cost: 500
Attribute: AGI
Skill Type: Warrior
Extra Dice:res
The art of iaijutsu is a true showing of a samurai's skill with his blade. These duels are fast and deadly. The epitome of the Bayushi Dojo, "Strike first, strike last". While a fairly common skill to many bushi (especially Crane and Scorpion bushi), Iaijutsu is a very difficult skill to use in battle. There are two ways in which this skill may be used. One is the Iaijutsu duel, and one is a common battle.
Several factors must be taken into account before even attempting this skill. The samurai with the skill may never have a higher Iaijutsu skill than their Katana skill. This skill can ONLY be used with a Katana, no other weapon matches the proper training.
For a duel, the opponent MUST also have the Iaijutsu skill. This form of dueling is a show of honor among trained samurai, to use it against an ignorant party is far too difficult for standard use. Now on to the actual duel.
At the start of the duel both samurai stand facing each other with their katanas sheathed at their sides. No roll for initiative is required. Both samurai decided secretly how many dice to roll against the skill. The winner is the one that successfully rolls the most dice versus their skill. In the case of a draw whomever rolled the most below their skill wins (if this is still a draw then neither side wins and it goes for another round). Failing the check means that the samurai drew his sword wrong and can not attack.
The winner of the duel automatically gets one hit against their opponent at normal damage (included magical bonuses and spells). Then the winner may roll "to hit" as normal against the opponents CDV. If this hit is successful, then however many dice they made against their skill becomes the damage multiplier of the attack (multiplying weapon damage only, magical bonuses are not multiplied). This damage increase is cumulative with any additional multipliers such as from a critical hit. As shown, this skill can be very deadly as a skilled and lucky warrior can do several times the normal damage in one attack.
In a normal battle, this skill allows the samurai to strike at superhuman speeds. To use the skill two die check is rolled before initiative is rolled. One a successful check, the user is allowed a single Quick Draw katana attack against any single target in melee range. Then initiative is rolled, and the user may act as normal.
For either use, in no way may this skill be combined with other skills such as Multi-Attack, Precise Attack, Lethal Attack, etc or spells that increase the number of attacks or other related abilities such as Foolhardy.
Lossing a iaijutsu duel makes one unable to strike back during that round of combat. If both sides are still standing afterwards, the fight may continue as normal or another round of dueling may occur.
- While ninjas have been known to alley with Scorpions, very few actually are Scorpions. The majority of ninja are heimen or lower and serve a means to an end for their lords. In this case, the Shosuro Shinobi Dojo was one of the few clan dojos to train outsiders (hand picked by high-ranking Scorpion officials).
- The Scorpion Purges no longer exist, but samurai wearing masks are all considered Ronin. They are assumed to have no honor and are disregarded by everyone they encounter. The only acceptation to this rule are those in and around the Imperial Palace. Lady Kachiko still wears her mask, even though she is no longer Scorpion and her personal guard are former Scorpions themselves.
- Soshi shugenja are masters of shadow. As a result, they are base mages that must always have Shadow Magics as one of their groups. Beyond this they are not restricted in any way, though they tend to favor Fire and Earth spells.
- Yogo Kuwasa are protectors and use their magic that way. Though they are not restricted in any form, most tend to be Water (for Wardings) or Earth (for Hindrances) mages.
- Shosuro Butei are gifted augers. They are generally only seen at a very high rate. This is because they must have the skills to not only disguise and act as spies, but also to play the role of another. Therefore a Butei impersonating a Bushi would have both auger and warrior skills.
- Shinobi is to never be offered to a player. This is restricted to actors only and is up to the imagination of the GM. Basically they can do whatever you need them to, and more. They are ninja, need I say more?