English edition v1.3.3
#Renown Titles (威名)
Contents
The ultimate single path chosen by one who reaches Tatsujin (10th dan). Only one of 3.
Related Items: Progression · Classes · Skills · Backgrounds
#Scent — Leaving a Name
After 10 advancements and reaching Tatsujin, three roads open before the character. Will they complete the ultimate art of a class and become a god of battle? Will they seize the realm through accumulated faction and station? Or will they raise one art to the realm of myth?
There is only one choice. And that choice completes the character's story.
#GM Warning — Renown Titles and Campaign End (Important)
Renown Titles are campaign-ending devices, not abilities for extended play.
#Why the Campaign Should End After Renown Titles
Renown Title effects are intentionally designed to invalidate core systems.
| Renown Title | System It Invalidates |
|---|---|
| Peerless Full Body (samurai) | Domination + Breakthrough (seize one zone alone) |
| Shadowless Guest (ronin) | zone movement + initiative (ignore Domination/Breakthrough, always 1st) |
| King of Shadows (shinobi) | infiltration/ambush system (constant infiltration + ambush instant death) |
| Dharma King (Pure Land monk) | incapacitation system (all allies immune to incapacitation) |
| War God (scholar) | Energy economy (squad orders cost 0 Energy ([Kata]) + everyone +3 Energy (transfer)/round) |
| Sword Saint (Swordsmanship saint) | check system (automatic hits + automatic evasion) |
This is intentional. A character who reaches 10th dan stands at the peak of the story, and gaining a Renown Title is for 1~2 climax battles, not for running another 10 sessions afterward.
#Recommended Campaign Structure
| Timing | Campaign Progress |
|---|---|
| 1st~5th dan (Season 1) | Use the full mechanism pool. Breakthrough, Domination, Core Zone, and squads matter. |
| 5th~9th dan (Season 2) | Traits and schools begin to twist the mechanisms. Combat becomes increasingly spectacular. |
| 10th-dan Tatsujin (Season 3 climax) | Renown Title gained = 1~3 sessions before campaign end. A tool for defeating the campaign's final Lord-grade antagonist and ending the story. |
| After 10th dan | Not recommended. Same reason D&D Tier 4 (17~20 levels) is rare: the system cannot bear the characters' power. If several Renown Titles exist in the party at the same time, the core mechanisms (zones, Breakthrough, Wounds, Energy economy) are all invalidated. |
#Renown Title Stack Warning
If the same party has 2 or more PCs with Renown Titles:
- Dharma King + War God = allied immortality + infinite Energy → enemies cannot win
- Sword Saint + Shadowless Guest = automatic hit/evasion + zone ignoring → tactics become meaningless
- King of Shadows + Peerless Full Body = ambush instant death + automatic counterattack → enemies have no room to act
The GM must recognize this in advance when designing the campaign and **treat gaining a Renown Title as the signal for campaign end**.
#Law — 3-Part System
When advancing to Tatsujin, choose only 1 of the following 3 Renown Titles.
#1. Class Capstone (職業の極意)
The ultimate technique that releases a class's unique tactical potential. Each Renown Title's maneuver type is listed.
| Class | Renown Title | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| samurai | Peerless Full Body (武雙全身) | [stance] | occupies 1 stance slot. While maintained: checking posture automatically triggers + automatic 0 Energy ([Kata]) counterattack against every enemy entering the same zone (1/round) + same-zone Domination +5. |
| ronin | Shadowless Guest (無影客) | [aptitude] | ignore all Domination/Breakthrough (always). First-breath initiative modifier +999 each round (guarantees 1st). Movement maneuver Energy -2 (minimum 1). |
| shinobi | King of Shadows (影の王) | [aptitude] | constantly infiltrating (from combat start). All attacks count as ambushes and apply Critical Expansion (adjacent eyes also count as Critical Hits). On ambush hit, Minion/Veteran/Elite die instantly (Lords exempt). |
| onmyoji | Lord of a Hundred Demons (百鬼の主) | [aptitude] | shikigami control limit 3 at the same time. Greater Shikigami effect always applies. All Sorcery Energy -1 (minimum 1). |
| feng shui master | Ruler of Earth (地の支配者) | [Kata] + [aptitude] | [Kata] zone transformation: 1 time per round for 0 Energy ([Kata]). Limited to 1 time. + [aptitude] manipulate Domination by ±3 (entire battlefield, automatically each lull). |
| esoteric monk | Kongo Rikishi (金剛力士) | [stance] | stance that activates only in the Core Zone. In the Core Zone, Wounds loss from attacks is 0. One-breath limit +5. Automatically releases when leaving the Core Zone. |
| Pure Land monk | Dharma King (法王) | [aptitude] | grant all allies "incapacitation immunity" (when Wounds reach 0, automatically stay at 1, 1 time per combat per character). |
| gaijin | Artillery Commander (砲兵司令官) | [Kata] | unlimited cannon use. Each round, spend 2 Energy to shell 1 zone (everyone in the zone takes 2 Wounds — apply the hit intensity table). 1/round. |
| scholar | War God (軍神) | [aptitude] | all squad orders cost 0 Energy ([Kata]). At the start of each round, automatically grant all allies +3 Energy (transfer; treated as normal Energy on the receiving side). |
| merchant | Wealth of the Realm (天下の富) | [aptitude] + [Kata] | [aptitude] automatically gain gold +5 each lull. Keep per-combat gold cap 20. + [Kata] bribe enemy Lord-grade: 5 Energy, opposed Presence check. On success, turns allied for 1 round. 1/combat. |
| artisan | Aptitude | [upkeep] | before combat starts (during lull or just before combat), fortify 2 zones into impregnable strongholds. Barricades in those zones have infinite durability. 1/combat. |
| entertainer | National Treasure (國寶) | [upkeep] | automatically triggers each lull: all allies recover 1 Wound + Cohesion +1. Energy cost 0 (entertainer automatic). |
| wildlander | Earth King (大地の王) | [aptitude] + [Kata] | [aptitude] when attacking bare-handed, add 1 hit intensity stage (4 Wounds on Critical Hit). + [Kata] zone transformation: free 1 time each round. |
| hanyo | Great Yoma (大妖魔) | [stance] | permanent transformation stance. Stance slot is always occupied (cannot release). Wounds+5, attack+4, fear aura. Negotiation -5 in human society (permanent penalty). |
| autonomous automaton | Divine Device (神器) | [aptitude] | pseudo-emotion complete. Possess all human class 1st-dan aptitude effects + machine immunity (poison/fear/bleeding/charm) at the same time. |
| arahitogami | Arahitogami Complete (現人神完成) | [aptitude] | Faith starting value 10, maximum 20, no loss at lull. Divine Domain expands to the whole battlefield. At the start of each round, all allies recover 1 Wound. |
| shugenja | Sokushinbutsu Complete (卽身成佛) | [aptitude] | Wounds cost for austerities is halved (round up). 3rd realm austerity bonuses always apply (without Wounds cost). |
| puppeteer | Master of Ten Thousand Machines (萬機の主) | [aptitude] + [Kata] | [aptitude] operate 5 puppets at the same time. + [Kata] command 3 puppets in the same breath (automatically gain masterwork puppet "Ayatsuri-hime"). 1/round. |
#2. Background Capstone (背景の極意)
Evolve the background built from 1st dan and become part of the setting's ruling class. You receive a different capstone depending on the 5th-dan branch (A/B).
| Background | Route | Renown Title | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fallen Noble | A restoration | Daimyo (大名) | [upkeep] + [aptitude] | [upkeep] before combat starts, automatically deploy 2 regular army squads for free. + [aptitude] domain income always applies (gold +10 between sessions). |
| Fallen Noble | B revenge | King of Asura (修羅王) | [aptitude] | automatic Critical Expansion against every member of the revenge-target faction (adjacent eyes also count as Critical Hits). That faction's squad Cohesion is always -3. |
| Farmer | A leader | Ikko-ikki (一向一揆) | [Kata] | 5 Energy. Immediately summon 20 Mob + 2 Minion squads to the battlefield. Limited to 1 time per combat. |
| Farmer | B battlefield | Avatar of the Earth (大地の化身) | [aptitude] | Wounds +4. All physical hits are negated on a 50% chance (d100 01~50). |
| Merchant's Child | A trading house | King of Finance (財界王) | [aptitude] | permanently cut off enemy supply (all lull effects negated). You automatically gain gold +2 each lull. Keep per-combat gold cap 20. |
| Merchant's Child | B black marketeer | Dark Merchant (闇黑商) | [aptitude] + [Kata] | [aptitude] automatically bribe a Minion (declare 1 at combat start). + [Kata] 5 Energy, check to bribe an Elite. On success, turns allied for 1 combat. |
| Temple-Raised | A warrior monk | Head Temple Abbot (總本山) | [upkeep] | before combat starts, deploy warrior-monk squads (Veteran, 3 squads) for free + automatically install a barrier. |
| Temple-Raised | B healing monk | Saint of Medicine (醫聖) | [upkeep] + [aptitude] | [upkeep] every lull, all allies automatically recover 2 Wounds. + [aptitude] aura that prevents allied incapacitation in the same zone. |
| Wanderer | A bonds | Legendary Wanderer (傳說の放浪者) | [upkeep] | at the start of each combat, automatically summon 2 Elite NPC allies (random, regardless of scenario). |
| Wanderer | B wild | Deathless Wanderer (不死の放浪者) | [aptitude] | incapacitation immunity. When Wounds reach 0, automatically retreat to the Outside Zone, then return next round with 3 Wounds. |
| Hanyo Lineage | A human | Hero (英雄) | [aptitude] | can negotiate with both humans and yoma. All allies on the battlefield gain attack +1 (aura). |
| Hanyo Lineage | B yoma | Great Yoma (大妖魔) | [Kata] + [stance] | [Kata] 5 Energy, trigger complete transformation. + [stance] maintain transformation — Wounds +5, attack +4, Defense +4, fear aura (all enemies make Courage checks). Lasts 3 rounds, 1/combat. |
#3. Skill Saints (技能聖人)
Break through one Master skill allowed by the class to stage 5 (Saint). A mythic ability beyond dice checks.
| Skill | Saint Name | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swordsmanship | Sword Saint (劍聖) | [aptitude] + [Kata] | [aptitude] melee attacks always hit + enemy melee attacks are always evaded. + [Kata] 0 Energy ([Kata]) counterattack (1/round, triggers immediately when hit). |
| Archery | Divine Bow (神弓) | [aptitude] | ranged attacks always hit. Can shoot anywhere on the battlefield (unlimited range). Immune to friendly fire. |
| Unarmed Combat | Arhat (羅漢) | [aptitude] | bare-handed attacks are always 2 Wounds. If an enemy in the same zone reaches Wounds 0, you may narrate instant death. |
| Military Science | War Saint (兵聖) | [aptitude] | at the start of every round, all allies gain initiative modifier +5 (first breath only, guarantees 1st). A squad order can make every allied squad in the same zone act at the same time. |
| Sorcery | Yosen (妖仙) | [aptitude] | all Sorcery automatically hits + Sorcery damage +1 Wound (total 3 Wounds). Sorcery Energy cost -1 (minimum 1). |
| Infiltration | Formless (無形) | [aptitude] | always invisible. Attacking does not reveal you. Ambush automatically inflicts instant death (5 Wounds to Lords). |
| Bearing | Peerless Presence (絶世) | [aptitude] | allied Domination +5 on the same battlefield (aura). Negotiation/bribery with ordinary NPCs automatically succeeds. |
| Exorcism | Great Saint (大聖人) | [aptitude] | yoma of Elite rank or lower die instantly. Lord-grade yoma take 5 Wounds. |
Three paths. One choice. How will your name be remembered?
#Appendix: Play After Tatsujin — Design Notes
This section is a design direction for future expansion. It is not a currently implemented rule.
#Current State
Renown Titles are designed as a campaign-ending device, and the current core rules do not recommend continued play after 10th dan.
#Expansion Direction (Tentative)
A. Shift to War/Political Scale
- Zoom out from personal combat → field battle/war → politics/diplomacy.
- Renown Title = strategic resource. It breaks the system in personal combat, but becomes a "deployment choice" in war.
- Fully expand domain management's season actions. Three Ways and Six Hearts mechanically affect political actions.
- Enemy factions also have Tatsujin-grade figures. Renown Title vs Renown Title creates a new balance through symmetrical disruption.
B. Mythic Single-Scale Upgrade
- zone = body part of a giant enemy. Reuse existing topology/Domination/Breakthrough/Core Zone rules.
- divine defense: attacks that are not Divine Device/Renown Title deal 0 Wounds. Squads can only suppress.
- controlling the Core Zone (heart) for 3 rounds = killing/sealing/purification (Three Ways and Six Hearts branch).
- Three Ways resonance: a PC of the same Way as the enemy can contribute Domination in the Core Zone through noncombat means.
- Total added rules: 1 tag (divine), 1 keyword (Three Ways resonance), 3 rule lines.
#Prerequisites
- complete 12 fiends (foundation for enemy-faction Tatsujin-grade figures)
- expand field battle scaling rules
- A/B directions are orthogonal: A = human-society scale, B = existence scale. They can be applied together in an epic campaign.