#Merchant (商人)
Controls the battlefield with the power of capital. Gold coins are weapons.
- Role: economic control, bribery, supply, disruption, information
- Core Attributes: Presence (美), Wisdom (智)
- Core Zone Entry: forced Breakthrough
- Base Class: great merchant of Sakai Guild. Or descendant of a street peddler.
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: No Heart or Hegemony. Sees everything through gold coins.
- Skills Eligible for Master: Bribery, Negotiation, Deceit, Perception, Bearing, Fortune
- Starting Automatic Skills: Negotiation Trained, Bribery Novice, Deceit Novice, Perception Novice
#Scent — War Is the Best Business
Merchants of the Sengoku are not simple traders. They supply weapons, hire mercenaries, and collapse enemies from within through gold. When a merchant opens a coin purse on the battlefield, enemy soldiers lower their spears and allied archers receive arrows. While a samurai kills a thousand people with a blade, a merchant makes a thousand leave with a single gold coin. Which is more efficient is something merchants know best.
Merchants do not stand in the Front Zone. From the rear, or outside the battlefield, they wage war with gold coins. They bribe enemy squads, cut enemy supply lines, and provide allies with equipment. "There are no enemies before money" is the merchant's philosophy, but the moment that money is traded for human lives, the merchant's heart (心) is tested. When a bribed enemy squad changes sides and cuts down former companions, the merchant sees that sight. The merchant never forgets that it is a scene they created.
Outside combat, the merchant is the center of the gold-coin economy. Through trade they earn gold, buy information, hire mercenaries, and broker deals between factions. A merchant belonging to Sakai Guild has a nationwide network. Even the daimyo of Kagura Domain must buy gunpowder from Sakai Guild; if the merchant refuses, the army does not move. That is the merchant's real power. Not blades, but supply lines; not domains, but trade routes. War begins with the mind, proceeds by the sword, and ends with gold.
The merchant's greatest conflict lies between profit and righteousness (仁義). Some deals are too cruel: slave trading, illegal arms trade, food hoarding. The greatest profit meets the greatest sin. Some merchants accept that and become magnates. Some reject it and disappear. A true merchant walks between them. Earning gold while not forgetting people is the hardest balance. That is why most great merchants have miserable old age. Amid the prosperity they created, they see the faces of the people they lost.
- Recommended Weapons: kaiken (concealed dagger, stealth), tanto (self-defense), hankyu (short bow, when traveling with guards), guard squad instead of a personal weapon. Negotiation is the real work, not combat.
- Recommended Schools: none. Merchants belong to schools of trade, not martial schools. Separate fields such as Sakai-style accounting or Ryukyu trade arts.
- Recommended Faction Traits: Sakai Guild (merchant union — natural calling), Kunitomo Guild (teppo trade), Kagura Domain (official purveyor)
#Core Resource: Gold Coins (金貨)
Merchants use the unique resource gold coins.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Basic holding per combat | 5 gold (common PC standard) |
| Background (Merchant's Child) addition | +3 |
| Automatic gain per lull (7th-dan Great Merchant House) | +2 |
| Automatic gain per lull (9th-dan Zaibatsu) | +5 |
| Gold cap per combat | 20 (the merchant class gains advantage through turnover, not by increasing the cap) |
Value of Gold 1: tactical effect worth about Energy 2~3.
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: Golden Leverage (黃金萬能) [Kata]
[Kata] Golden Leverage
Energy: 2 | Gold: 1 | Limit: —
Effect: enemy Domination in the target zone immediately -2.
"Collapse enemy morale with gold."
Zone: can target adjacent zones (throw gold coins)."Throw one gold coin and the enemy looks elsewhere. Throw two, and enemies start fighting one another."
#3rd-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Gold | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hire Mercenaries (傭兵雇用) | [Kata] | 0 | 2 | 1/combat | 0 Energy ([Kata]), spend Gold 2. Immediately summon 1 Minion squad (3 people). Deploy in allied Rear Zone. Cohesion 2. |
| Bribe (賄賂) | [Kata] | 2 | 1 | 1/round | negate the next-breath action of 1 enemy Minion squad. "Gold coins bind the enemy's feet." |
| Merchant-House Supply (商團補給) | [upkeep] | — | 1 | 1/lull | repair all allied weapon breakage + reload all teppo. "Supplies have arrived." |
#5th-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Gold | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| War Economy (戰爭經濟) | [aptitude] | — | — | — | when an enemy Minion is defeated, gain Gold 1. "Extract profit even from war." |
| Market Control (市場支配) | [Kata] | 2 | 3 | 1/combat | cut enemy supply: enemy lull recovery effects are negated (1 round). |
| Shield of Gold (金の盾) | [aptitude] | — | 1 (spent) | — | when hit, spend Gold 1 -> negate that 1 Wound. "Gold becomes armor." |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Gold | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Merchant House (大商團) | [aptitude] | — | — | — | automatically gain Gold 2 each lull. Gold cap per combat remains 20. |
| Bribed Defection (買收轉向) | [Kata] | 3 | 4 | 1/combat | turn 1 enemy Minion squad allied. |
| Battlefield Merchant (戰場商人) | [Kata] | 2 | — | 1/round | provide an ally with immediate equipment exchange. Change weapon from a pre-held list. |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Gold | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaibatsu (財閥) | [aptitude] | — | — | — | automatically gain Gold 5 each lull. Gold cap per combat remains 20. |
| War Bonds (戰爭債券) | [Kata] | 0 | 5 | 1/combat | 0 Energy ([Kata]), spend Gold 5. All allies gain Energy +3 (that round). "Buy breath with gold." |
| Merchant of the Realm (天下の商人) | [Kata] | 3 | 0 | 1/combat | make a "war-ending negotiation" with the enemy Lord (opposed Presence check). On success, combat immediately ends (treated as allied victory). "There is no war money cannot solve." |
#Typical Merchant Breath Patterns
| Breath | Maneuver Combination | Energy | Gold | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Warfare | Golden Leverage(2 Energy, 1 gold) + Golden Leverage(2 Energy, 1 gold) | 4 | 2 | enemy Domination -4 |
| Supply+Disrupt | Bribe(2 Energy, 1 gold) + stealth kaiken thrust(1 Energy) | 3 | 1 | enemy squad neutralized + self-defense |
| Mercenary Entry | Hire Mercenaries(0 Energy ([Kata]), 2 gold) + squad order(1 Energy) | 1 | 2 | instant squad summon+action |
#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rear Zone | Golden Leverage range +1 zone (from Rear Zone to Front Zone). |
| Front Zone | dangerous! A merchant in the Front Zone is a priority enemy target. |
| Flank Zone | suitable for smuggling scenes. Noncombat Negotiation +2. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts
| Natural Heart | Conflict |
|---|---|
| No Heart | follow profit only. Morality is not in the ledger. |
| Can shift toward Compassion | "If this gold can save people?" |
| Can shift toward Hegemony | "If this gold can rule the world?" |
The merchant's Three Ways and Six Hearts asks the most interesting question of the Sengoku: is money good, or evil? The answer depends on the one who spends it.
There are no enemies before money. But some things cannot be bought with money. One who knows that boundary is a true merchant.
#Squad Tactics Traits (Merchant)
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.
Merchant squad tactics are the power of gold coins. With money, morale rises and enemies can be bought.
| Trait | Type | Learned Dan | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Announce Reward (褒賞宣布) | [Tactic:Kata] | 3rd dan | squad order cost | 1/round | spend Gold 2, and all attack checks by the commanded squad next round gain +2. "Fight well and there is a bonus!" |
| Battlefield Trading Post (戰場交易所) | [Tactic:Stance] | 5th dan | squad order cost+1 | maintain | deploy a squad in the Rear Zone as a "trading post." Each lull, income Gold +1. All allies can replenish consumables (gold cost). Cannot attack. |
Three Ways and Six Hearts (Squad Tactics): Announce Reward is No Heart — "money is everything." Battlefield Trading Post is Hegemony — "business continues even in war."
"A blade kills people. Gold coins buy people's thoughts. Which one is more frightening?"
#Example Character
→ Ebisuya Koharu — Sample Sheet (1st/5th/10th dan + step-by-step backstory)