Saturday, September 19, 2020

Four Cat Rōnin

The cat samurai once all served a master. Their master is gone. Now they are Rōnin. These swordsmen fight and travel together, and so as a special rule they do not break morale except as a group. If one loses morale, the others will defend them to find a suitable opening to escape.

All of the Rōnin are cats, and as such they all have a collection of cat-like abilites. They can see well in dim light, their AC bonus comes purely from swiftness instead of armor, and they always land on their feet; taking no damage from falls.

Art @Kokudou Juunigou

From left to right.

[1] Ricecake (4 HD, +2 to hit, +4 AC, 1d8 Catana, morale check to attack unprovoked)
Morale-
12

Polite, charming, and an exemplar of the samurai code. He always stands at ease, but is capable of springing into action at any time. Ricecake is an attractive cat, good with the ladies, and he has a running rivalry with any Fierce Cock he comes across, preferring to humiliate them in single combat.

Because of his polite and highly honorable countenance, it is difficult to hate him and enacting acts of violence against him unprovoked requires a morale check. This is waived if the person in question is a bloody murderer to begin with, and of course this grants no protection if he's tried to kill you before.

[2] Sushi (5+2 HD, +3 to hit, +3 AC, 1d8+1 Catana, random blade art)

Morale- 14

The oldest and largest of the group. He's strong, so his melee attacks do an extra point of damage. Experienced in most matters, especially with money. Sushi is the one most concerned with the group's financial well being in the future and is seeking more permanent employment; if the party looks wealthy enough and powerful enough he will offer to join them, but only through Ricecake as his negotiator.

Sushi's Blade Art Table – 1d4

(1) Wavecut- Sushi's sword slashes can travel 20 ft through water and retain their sharpness and impact (essentially- ranged sword attacks, but only when within water). This move can also be used to let him cut “windows” in thick fog or supernatural darkness to peek out or see in, or can be used to cut open passages in thick fog or supernatural darkness to quickly escape it without getting lost.

(2) Power Claw- This is an unarmed technique. Gives his unarmed fist attacks 1d6+1 damage and can break wooden objects with them, like bar stools or shields. Also, he gets +1 AC for his bones and skin being tougher, but only for the days when he has this ability active.

(3) Red Flight- Sushi can jump like a cat, from the ground to the top of a short building. If he makes an attack while ascending upwards (such as to strike at people on the top of a hill or embankment) he deals 1d10+1 damage on a hit instead.

(4) Superiority- During a combat round, Sushi can hold his stance instead of attacking. He gains +3 AC for that round against all attacks. Everyone who attacks him and misses takes 1d4 damage from his counter attacks.

Sushi is also an incredible swordsman. Every day he meditates on the foundational principles, and rolls on the table above. This is his blade art for that day, which he will forget and replace with another one on the list the next day. It is random which one he will have when he battles with someone.

[3] Mask (4 HD, +2 to hit, +4 AC, 1d8+2 Falseblade)

Morale- 13

The quiet, mysterious member of the group. He is missing the last three inches off the end of his tail; he chopped it off himself to regain his honor after failing his previous master on a mission. Mask is also the only member of the Rōnin to have a magical sword.

Falseblade – Magic Sword +2

The Falseblade is a +2 Magic Sword and has a few unique properties. The first is that the Falseblade deals double damage against anyone else using a sword. This ability only applies to enemy combatants who are using swords, such as in a duel, against Mask. The second property is that the Falseblade looks, acts, and is used like a sword but is not a sword for the purposes of magic spells, blade arts, or other special class or character features. If you have a bonus to parry enemy's with swords, it doesn't work on the Falseblade, even though it looks and acts exactly like a Catana sword.

Needless to say, Mask has never lost a duel.

[4] Tidbits (4-1 HD, +3 to hit, +3 AC, 1d8 Catana, rage)

Morale- 13

The youngest and smallest of the group, Tidbits has developed a bit of a complex. To make up for his small size, he has adopted a very aggressive persona and is willing to challenge anyone to a duel to the death for almost any slight. While the least experienced of the Rōnin, he is still an excellent swordsman and is a fearsome duelist.

When Tidbits health drops to 6 points of HP or less (and thus puts him in lethal range on the next standard weapon's attack) he begins to fight with a devilish fury. He gains +2 AC and to hit for the rest of combat, but when combat ends he loses consciousness for 1d6 turns.

3 comments:

  1. "Catana!" I love that!

    These four really come alive in your description.

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  2. Absolutely purfect. I can envision the opening title sequence and everything.

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  3. A great insert for any Wandering Encounter table!

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