#Pure Land Monk (淨土僧)
Morale buffer. Holds the troops together through Amida Buddha's compassion.
- Role: squad morale maintenance, Cohesion buffs, recovery, granting fear immunity
- Core Attributes: Presence (美), Physique (體)
- Core Zone Entry: forced Breakthrough
- Base Class: Jodo Shinshu (淨土眞宗) monk. Religious leader of peasants.
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: Compassion (Way of Emptiness). Compassion for all beings.
- Skills Eligible for Master: Bearing, Negotiation, Agitation, Medicine, Fighting Spirit, Hardiness
- Starting Automatic Skills: Negotiation Trained, Bearing Novice, Medicine Novice, Fighting Spirit Novice
#Scent — Amida's Shield
The Pure Land monk is a monk who does not fight — no, a monk who does not need to fight. When they chant nembutsu behind the Front Zone, ashigaru who feared death take up their spears again. The phrase "Namu Amida Butsu" rebuilds a line that was about to collapse. If other classes end war by killing enemies, the Pure Land monk helps allies live long enough to endure it. That is the war of compassion.
The Pure Land monk's core is Cohesion. If a squad collapses, the line collapses; if the line collapses, the battle ends. The Pure Land monk is the only class that keeps squads from collapsing. If the performer restores Wounds, the Pure Land monk restores morale (Cohesion). That is why, if an Ikko-ikki peasant army has even a single Pure Land monk, that army does not collapse. When peasants tremble before death, the Pure Land monk says, "Namu Amida Butsu." The peasants take up their bamboo spears again. To samurai eyes, that sight is the most terrifying sight of all.
Outside combat, the Pure Land monk is a leader of the people. It is no accident that Honganji Shonin of the Ikko-ikki peasant uprising is a Pure Land monk. The teaching of "Namu Amida Butsu" cuts across every class, from peasant to samurai, and when a Pure Land monk speaks, the village moves. Daimyo fear Pure Land monks not because they carry blades, but because peasants put the Pure Land monk's words above the daimyo's orders. "Buddha stands above the king" is the Pure Land monk's political danger.
The Pure Land monk's deepest conflict lies between compassion and uprising. Compassion must be offered to all beings. Yet peasants starve, and samurai plunder villages. What should the Pure Land monk do then? Remain compassionately silent, or rise up for compassion? Ikko-ikki (一向一揆) is the answer — the moment a Pure Land monk who does not take up a blade places bamboo spears in peasants' hands, the most compassionate class becomes the leader of the most dangerous uprising. That is the Pure Land monk's contradiction, and the Pure Land monk's truth.
- Recommended Weapons: naginata (long glaive, wide sweep — Pure Land monk symbol), rokushakubo (staff, suppression), tanto (concealed self-defense)
- Recommended Schools: Manase-ryu (Medicine + compassion), Shingon-ryu (Mahavairocana Mantra — wide-area blessing), no school (self-taught — mountain Pure Land monk)
- Recommended Faction Traits: Ikko-ikki (path of Honganji Shonin), Hiei League (warrior-monk alliance), Enryokan (spiritual compassion)
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: Amida's Shield (阿彌陀の盾) [aptitude]
[aptitude] Amida's Shield
Effect: allied squads in the same zone **do not collapse** even when their Cohesion becomes 0 (maintain Cohesion 1).
Lasts as long as the Pure Land monk remains in that zone.
If the Pure Land monk moves, the effect range changes (old zone releases, new zone applies)."Namu Amida Butsu. This zone will not collapse."
#3rd-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nembutsu (念佛) | [Kata] | 1 | — | 1 squad in the same zone gains Cohesion +1. Can be repeated at low Energy. |
| Law of Rebirth (往生の法) | [upkeep] | — | 1/lull | +5 to the post-death check of 1 incapacitated ally. "I send you to the Pure Land." |
| Monk's Robe (法衣) | [aptitude] | — | — | Defense +1 without armor. Domination +1 even without weapons. The dignity of robes. |
#5th-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Dharma Assembly (大法會) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | all allied squads, including adjacent zones, gain Cohesion +1. Restores morale across the whole line. |
| Hand of Compassion (慈悲の手) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | 1 adjacent ally recovers 1 Wound. Powerful healing line when combined with a performer. |
| Immovable Heart (不動心) | [aptitude] | — | — | all allies in the same zone gain fear immunity. Unmoved by yoma roars. |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rebirth in the Pure Land (極樂往生) | [aptitude] | — | — | when an ally is incapacitated, all allies in that ally's zone gain +2 to attack techniques (2 rounds). "A companion's death calls forth rage." |
| Dharma-Power Barrier (法力結界) | [Kata] | 3 | 1/combat | barrier in 1 zone: when enemies enter, Cohesion -1 + Domination -2 (maintain 2 rounds). |
| Dignity of a High Monk (高僧の氣品) | [aptitude] | — | — | Presence (美) aura effect multiplied by 2. With Presence +2, Domination +4. The line holds firm just from the monk standing there. |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amida Manifest (阿彌陀顯現) | [Kata] | 5 | 1/combat | all allies recover 2 Wounds + recover all Cohesion. "The Buddha has appeared." |
| State of Nirvana (涅槃の境地) | [aptitude] | — | — | even when incapacitated, endure until the lull phase (cannot act, only remain present). At the lull, revive at Wounds 1. |
| Infinite Life (無量壽) | [aptitude] | — | — | Amida's Shield expands to 2 adjacent zones. Squads in that range cannot collapse. |
#Typical Pure Land Monk Breath Patterns
Pure Land monks almost never attack directly. They focus on Cohesion management and buffs.
| Breath | Maneuver Combination | Energy | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nembutsu Chain | Nembutsu(1)+Nembutsu(1)+Nembutsu(1)+walk(2) | 5 | 3 squads each gain Cohesion +1 + position adjustment |
| Great Assembly+Compassion | Great Dharma Assembly(2)+Hand of Compassion(2) | 4 | all squads Cohesion +1 + Wound 1 recovery |
| Naginata+Robe | naginata wide sweep(2)+naginata defense(1) | 3 | emergency combat when the rear is breached |
#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Effect |
|---|---|
| Front Zone | where Amida's Shield is needed most. Squads are concentrated. |
| Rear Zone | safe, but Amida's Shield range does not reach the Front Zone (solved by 7th-dan Infinite Life). |
| Core Zone | requires forced Breakthrough. The Pure Land monk enters the Core Zone only in emergencies. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts
| Natural Heart | Conflict |
|---|---|
| Compassion (Way of Emptiness) | "Take on the suffering of all beings." The Pure Land monk's essence. |
| Conflict: toward Loyalty | "Follow the temple's orders." Will you join Hiei League extremism? |
| Conflict: toward Emptiness | "No matter how much I pray, people die." Despair at the limits of compassion. |
The Pure Land monk's Three Ways and Six Hearts question: "Can prayer alone protect people? What happens when the moment comes to take up a blade?"
Namu Amida Butsu. This Front Zone will not collapse.
#Squad Tactics Traits (Pure Land Monk)
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.
The Pure Land monk's squad tactics are morale management and healing. The power of sutras rebuilds a collapsing line.
| Trait | Type | Learned Dan | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dharma Encouragement (法聞鼓吹) | [Tactic:Kata] | 3rd dan | squad order cost | 1/round | recite sutras and steady the squad's hearts. Squad Cohesion +2 + immediately remove fear. "Namu Amida Butsu." |
| Amida Defensive Formation (阿彌陀防陣) | [Tactic:Stance] | 5th dan | squad order cost+1 | maintain | the Pure Land monk must be in the same zone. The squad gains Cohesion collapse immunity (does not collapse even at Cohesion 0). Releases if the Pure Land monk leaves the zone. |
Three Ways and Six Hearts (Squad Tactics): Dharma Encouragement is Compassion (soothing hearts with sutras). Amida Defensive Formation is the height of Compassion — "Amida Buddha protects this line."
"You can save people without a blade. There are times you cannot kill even with a blade. Which one is the true warrior?"
#Example Character
→ Renge — Sample Sheet (1st/5th/10th dan + step-by-step backstory)