#Ronin (浪人)
Mobile strike force. They cross the battlefield like wind and pierce the enemy's weak points.
- Role: mobile strike, Core Zone combat, solo action
- Core Attributes: Courage (勇), Finesse (技)
- Core Zone Entry: free
- Base Class: warrior who lost a lord. Mirror image of the samurai.
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: No Heart or Truth. Freedom of one who lost Loyalty (忠).
- Skills Eligible for Master: Swordsmanship, Footwork, Unarmed Combat, Infiltration, Survival, Speed
- Starting Automatic Skills: Swordsmanship Trained, Footwork Novice, Survival Novice, Speed Novice
#Scent — Blade of the Wind
A warrior who lost his lord. A blade released from bonds. Once he formed Immovable Formation, but now he moves as if mocking that immobility. Unbound by formation, like an arrow through the battlefield, he takes the next step before the previous footprint remains. If the samurai is a mountain, the ronin is wind. The mountain does not shake, but the wind cuts the mountain down.
On the day a house was destroyed, some samurai committed junshi (殉死). Some served another house. And some samurai — took only two swords and went to the mountains. That is the ronin's first step. One who abandoned name, house, and duty to a lord, leaving only their own sword.
A ronin with a dagger in the Core Zone is the most dangerous presence on the battlefield. While other warriors calculate the Energy for forced Breakthrough and fear becoming Defenseless, the ronin simply walks in. Immovable Formation, shield walls, and the firing lines of volleys are only scenery to a ronin. Five dagger strikes in one breath. Not cutting the same enemy five times, but cutting the vital point of five enemies once each. That is the ronin's breath.
The ronin's freedom is cruel freedom. No companions, no one to protect, no command to serve. Some ronin cannot bear that freedom and become retainers again. Some grow drunk on that freedom and become bandits. And true ronin use that freedom to protect someone. Not from duty, but by choice. That is what a samurai can never have.
- Recommended Weapons: ninjato (infiltration), kodachi (Core Zone flurry), uchigatana (all-purpose), kaiken (hidden dagger — emergency), two-sword style (kodachi + uchigatana)
- Recommended Schools: Yagyu Shinkage-ryu (Muto), Niten Ichi-ryu (orthodox two-sword style), Jigen-ryu (first strike), no school (self-taught)
- Recommended Faction Traits: Fuma Band (Afterimage — another ronin path), none (true independence is the ronin's essence)
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: Blade of the Wind (風の刃) [aptitude]
[aptitude] Blade of the Wind
Effect: when moving into a zone with high enemy Domination / the Core Zone, Energy -1 (minimum 1). Free entry/exit for the Core Zone.#3rd-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Strike (先手一撃) | [aptitude] | — | 1/combat | first attack in the first round of combat is an automatic Critical Hit. |
| Master of Retreat (離脫の達人) | [aptitude] | — | — | exempt 1 pursuit check when retreating from the battlefield. |
| Ronin's Two Swords (浪人の二刀) | [aptitude] | — | 1/breath | after attacking with the main weapon, make an additional off-weapon attack for 1 Energy. (Simpler than the general trait [Two-Sword Style], but limited to 1 time per breath.) This is a separate class trait from the general traits [Two-Sword Style]/[Two-Sword Combined Strike]. |
#5th-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gale (疾風) | [aptitude] | — | — | +2 when attacking immediately after movement. |
| Lone Wolf (一匹狼) | [aptitude] | — | — | when no allies are in the same zone, attack +2, Defense +2. |
| Read the Vital Point (急所看破) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | target Defense -3 (until next round). |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Shadow (無影) | [aptitude] | — | — | movement Energy 1. Breakthrough automatically succeeds. |
| Chain Slash (連斬) | [aptitude] | — | — | when you finish an enemy, immediately gain Energy +1 in that breath. |
| Demon of the Core Zone (心府の鬼) | [aptitude] | — | — | Critical Expansion inside the Core Zone (adjacent eyes also count as Critical Hits in addition to doubles). |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadowless Guest (無影客) | [aptitude] | — | — | ignore Domination/Breakthrough. Always has top-priority count. |
| One Flash (一閃) | [Kata] | 4 | 1/round | annihilate all enemy Minions in the zone + 2 Wounds to Elites/Lords. |
| Deathline (死線) | [aptitude] | — | — | when at Wounds 1, all attacks are automatic Critical Hits. |
#Typical Breath Pattern (5th Dan)
Ronin: Energy 13 (10+Finesse 3), kodachi
Count 13 — first breath: movement(1, Blade of the Wind) + kodachi solid strike(1) + kodachi solid strike(1) + defense reservation(1) = 4 Count 9 — second breath: movement(1) + kodachi solid strike(1) + kodachi solid strike(1) + kodachi solid strike(1) = 4 → remaining Energy: 13 - 4 - 4 = 5 (Gale bonus for attack after movement +2)
#Squad Tactics Traits (Ronin)
Slot Rule: Squad tactics traits are included in the class trait choices for that dan. When choosing 3rd/5th-dan class traits, you may choose a squad tactics trait instead of an ordinary class trait.
Ronin are not regular soldiers. They rarely lead squads, but when they do, they use irregular tactics specialized in ambush and skirmishing.
| Trait | Type | Learned Dan | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skirmish Order (遊擊指示) | [Tactic:Kata] | 3rd dan | squad order cost+1 | 1/round | the squad appears in the enemy Rear Zone by passing through the Flank Zone. Ambush attack: check +2. Squad Cohesion -1 (dangerous maneuver). |
| Ronin Solidarity (浪人の連帶) | [Tactic:Aptitude] | 5th dan | — | — | Minion/Veteran squads in the same zone move with the ronin's breath without a regular command structure. Squad order cost -1 (minimum 0). However, no effect if the ronin is in the Core Zone. |
Three Ways and Six Hearts (Squad Tactics): Skirmish Order is No Heart (a fight without rules) and Hegemony (irregular means for victory). Solidarity is Compassion — "fight beside the nameless."
#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Bonus / Use |
|---|---|
| Core Zone | free entry/exit. Dagger flurry + short weapon Combo Fatigue -1. Ronin home ground. |
| Flank Zone | synergy with Infiltration+Survival skills. Starting point for flanking into the enemy Rear Zone. |
| Outside Zone | with Master-grade Infiltration, move anywhere for 0~1 Energy. With Fuma Band faction trait, full infiltration begins. |
| Front Zone | samurai territory. A ronin should not stay there. Only enough to declare a duel and slip away. |
| Rear Zone | does not go there. A ronin in the Rear Zone means they are fleeing. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts Conflict
The ronin's core drama is the emptiness between freedom and meaning.
- No Heart (無心): "no rules, no house, no faith." The ronin's starting point. The most common heart.
- Truth (Way of Mystery): "what do I truly see?" The path of one who has seen the lie of bushido. Trusts only their own blade.
- Conflict: toward Compassion — "protect the nameless." One without a house lends the sword to others without a house. The most human ronin path.
- Conflict: toward Hegemony — "I create a new house." Gather companions and form a faction. A ronin candidate for daimyo.
- Fall: toward Demon — "everyone is the same anyway." Falls into banditry or murder. The moment freedom becomes cruelty.
- Final Conflict: one day, the ronin meets the enemy of the old lord. Take revenge, or simply pass by? If they take revenge, the old lord's ghost is briefly comforted. If they pass by, they become truly free. Neither answer is right.
"Where does the wind come from, and where does it go? Do not ask. The moment you ask, the wind stops."
#Example Character
→ Hayame (Gale) — Sample Sheet (1st/5th/10th dan + step-by-step backstory)