Seeker of Knowledge School (Ready for Review)

[Reo]

Seeker of Knowledge School [Bushi/Ninja]

Based out of the Imperial Library movement, the Spider chose to expand their studies outside of the pure mission to collect information about Jigoku and the Shadowlands, and include deep research with applied studies, notably in the fields of medicine, anatomy, herbology and metallurgy. While the library was open to other members of the Empire, the Spider restricted subjects they deemed particularly dangerous, and formed a group known as the Seekers of Knowledge to go out and study the world at large, studying anything that they considered secret or dangerous. This role leaves them predisposed as intelligence gatherers and spies for the Spider, as their ability to get into dangerous places to gather knowledge makes them predisposes them to this task, but the Seekers are adamant that they do not blindly collect knowledge for their lords.

A tradition begins to form as members achieve a level of Insight to enjoy the benefits of "Specialized Study". Those who achieve that level receive an unofficial title based on your field of study. For example, a student of Medicine might be a "Seeker of Life" while a student of toxins would be "Seeker of Weakness" or a researcher of the taint or oni would be "Seeker of Jigoku". The title may change as a response to achievement or divergence to another school or Path.


Benefit: +1 Reflexes
Skills: Calligraphy (Cipher), Craft (Poison), Hunting, Lore (choice of subskill), Ninjutsu, any one Weapon skill, Stealth
Honor: 3.0
Outfit: Ashigaru or Light Armor, Sturdy Black Clothing, Daisho, one weapon of choice, Traveling Pack, 5 koku

Rank 1: The Path of Secrets
The search for knowledge can take you anywhere, and you learn to steel yourself against the opinions of others for your methods...and your results. You lose no Honor for use of Low Skills or Ninjutsu Weapons in the service of the Seekers of Knowledge or Spider Clan (subject to GM approval). You gain +1k0 with Stealth and Hunting skill Rolls.

Rank 2: Armor of the Wary
The Seeker knows that the best armor is to not be seen. Even in pitched battles, their ability to keep silent makes them harder to pin down. When wearing light armor, ashigaru armor, or no armor, you may add your Stealth Skill Rank to your Armor TN. The bonus to Stealth and Hunting Rolls increases to +1k1.

Rank 3 Enhanced Study
For Seekers of Knowledge, the accumulation of knowledge is important for practical, as well as philosophical reasons, and the fruit of their studies makes them experts in their fields of choice. For any Craft or Lore subskill you take a rank in gain an extra +1k0 on your roll. When spending a Void Point to augment on the Skill Roll for an applicable Craft or Lore check, you gain a bonus of +2k2 instead of +1k1. These effects are not cumulative. In addition, you may additional raises to increase to increase or decrease the TN of any effect of an item you craft, either making it to use or more difficult to resist.


Rank 4: Death of Papercuts
While Seekers tend to not be frontline combatants, the necessity to defend themselves to survive long enough to bring information home is drilled in through experience. You may make an attack with a school weapon skill as a Simple Action rather than a Complex Action.

Tech 5: Know Thy Enemy
The Seeker is a deadly opponent of anything they have studied. The Seeker gains the highest relevant Lore Skill as a bonus to Stealth, Hunting, and TN. If the applicable Lore skill rank is at least 5, the enemy cannot declare Raises. If it is at least 7, the enemy cannot use Void or equivalent Trait against the Seeker (note for the purposes of this Tech, reducing damage is not considered using Void against the Seeker).

[Reo]

Just thought I would throw this up here. Ninube and Reo have been tinkering with the idea of what the Seekers would look like.

I figured it wouldn't hurt to get feedback

[Jin]

I assume by 'Lore (any one specialty)' you mean sub-type not emphasis? In which case it's usually just listed as 'any Lore skill'

I don't think the term 'specialty' has any meaning in this edition so you'd want to drop it from the wording for Rank 2 as well.

[Nozomi]

Ok, overall good school. A nice Lore-centered version of the Scout/Ninja aesthetic that is more based around recon than assassination, which divorces it from the Shosuro Infiltrator and the Daidoji Scout/Seppun Hunters (who share a lot in common with the canon harriers). It's also less strictly Scout, separating it from the Hiruma school of thought, and cleanly avoids the trap of the Goju itself. So, from a fluff standpoint I'm liking this.

From a mechanical standpoint -
You're in the ballpark, but I'm not the man to call on for getting this better balanced. I will likely muck that process up. My one suggestion is that you consider swapping Rank 3 and Rank 4. The "Simple Attack Action" and its position in the tree of attacks is generally a hallmark of the level of combat focus of a school of bushi. Any bushi school that has it at all is considered martially focused.

-To have it on Rank 2 means that you're combat-focused and designed around multiple weapons (i.e. Mirumoto)
-To have it on Rank 3 means that you're a combat-focused school. This is front line fighters, primary soldiers and the like. So, most but not all traditional bushi school have it at Rank 3.
-To have it on Rank 4 means that you're a bushi, trained for war, but specialized in a specific angle (Jiyo/Shiba as bodyguards. Divine Blade/Kakita as iaijutsu duelists. Etc.). The combat prowess is secondary in focus to the primary purpose of the school.
-To have it only at Rank 5 means that you're a bushi school that is deficient or highly specialized. (there's one that gets it as part of its capstone. I forget which. It was weird.)

This is a Bushi school, but it's one that has Stealth/Lore/Investigation/Hunting as its primary focus, and combat as its secondary. Classically that means their SAA will be at Rank 4.

Beyond this? I think you've got good nuts and bolts of techniques here, but I'm suspecting we're a smidge underpowered. Again, this is where I'm not sure how best to fix that. However, you've got the basics of the concept down here, and I'm pretty sure someone can spit-ball the right ideas to get the mechanics where they need to be.

[Jin]

Agreed on the attack - on a skim I was thinking five ranks so when I saw it as second to last I assumed it was rank 4. For non combat-machines it is rarely, if ever, rank 3.

[Nanzi]

Simple attacks should be Rank 4, unless this is a front line combatant school.

[Reo]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback so far. It's exactly what I was looking for.

I agree that moving the Simple Attack to rank 4 makes sense. It falls in line with some of the schools I was using.

I still need some thinking of what to do for rank 5. Shosuro Infilrator is pretty solid.

Ok, overall good school. A nice Lore-centered version of the Scout/Ninja aesthetic that is more based around recon than assassination, which divorces it from the Shosuro Infiltrator and the Daidoji Scout/Seppun Hunters (who share a lot in common with the canon harriers). It's also less strictly Scout, separating it from the Hiruma school of thought, and cleanly avoids the trap of the Goju itself. So, from a fluff standpoint I'm liking this.

Haha, I think you nailed pretty much everything I cut from other schools to make this one: Shosuro Infiltrator, Doji Scout and Harrier with a smidge of Kaiu Engineer.

Beyond this? I think you've got good nuts and bolts of techniques here, but I'm suspecting we're a smidge underpowered. Again, this is where I'm not sure how best to fix that. However, you've got the basics of the concept down here, and I'm pretty sure someone can spit-ball the right ideas to get the mechanics where they need to be.

I think I gave the power a shot in the arm with some of the crafting in what is now Rank 3. Mostly because adding rasises to add +5 increments to some of those poison checks could get very, very, very nasty against PCs. I didn't realize how potentially deadly they could be in PvP until Reo's skirmish, and then factored in 3-4 tests per timeslot, and poisons that reduce Stamina per every failed test...

[Togashi Saruko]

I'd suggest sticking to ashigaru armor maybe for starting gear as that has often been a trend for scout schools, iirc.

Rank 2 could then be "this only applies when wearing no armor or nothing heavier than ashigaru armor."

Just suggestions, but I like the concept.

Also, I wouldn't stress too much about Rank 5 yet.

[Taochusu]

For a rank 5 you might lean on the blend of Lore and combat. Tie them together by giving a bonus to damage equal to ranks in Lore: Anatomy for beings of Ningen-do, Lore: Shadowlands for creatures from Jigoku or the Lost, and Lore: Lying Darkness for creatures of the Nothing.

[Ninube]

I just want to say thanks to Reo for doing all the w9rk and putting together a pretty cool school.

[Reo]

I just want to say thanks to Reo for doing all the w9rk and putting together a pretty cool school.

It's not all done. You're one of the creators so I would love it if you had your own touches

[Seidou Satone]

This sentence feels like it is missing some words:

In addition, you may additional raises to increase to increase or decrease the TN of any effect of an item you craft, either making it to use or more difficult to resist.

[Jiyo Sora]

As has been hinted at on the fluff front, I love this- and so does my character.

Plus, it helps give our game's version of the Spider a toehold on an identity that... actually isn't "just something other clans did in canon."

[Canary]

The Spider feel like they're gaining their own identity as crafty knowledge-focused peeps with an emphasis on purity, which isn't really a niche filled by anyone else. I think it's neat and the idea behind this school backs up that feel.