#Dokuchushi (蠱毒師)
Put a hundred insects in a jar, and when the last one survives, that is kodoku (蠱毒).
- Role: assassination, internal erosion, ongoing damage
- Core Attributes: Finesse (技), Wisdom (智)
- Core Zone Entry: infiltration penetration
- Base Class: shinobi × onmyoji
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: Demon direction (can move toward Void)
- Skills Eligible for Master: Infiltration, Poisoncraft, Sorcery, Disable, Disguise, Stratagem
- Starting Automatic Skills: Poisoncraft Trained, Infiltration Novice, Disable Novice, Sorcery Novice
Common to Fiend Classes: GM permission required. Designed as an NPC villain, but if a player wants, it can be played as a "path of corruption." See Villain Play Guide.
#Scent — Hell Inside the Jar
Kodoku (蠱毒). Seal a hundred venomous insects inside a jar. They devour one another, and the last one left alive is no longer an insect. It is the curse itself, having absorbed a hundred poisons. This sorcery came from ancient China and was treated in Japan as the taboo among taboos. Yet in the darkness of Koga-ryu, some put that taboo into practice.
The Dokuchushi combines shinobi infiltration with onmyoji sorcery. What they handle is not a blade or shuriken, but insects. The curse insect (蟲) born through kodoku is a Minion-grade servant body that slips into an enemy's body and eats from within. From the outside, no wound is visible, but each round the enemy's Wounds decrease by 1. Even attempts at detoxification take difficulty +5, because the insect eats the antidote itself. Even Iga-ryu excommunicated this technique as "cowardly." Their reason was that the way of the shinobi is "completion of the mission," not "enjoyment of pain."
But morality means nothing to the Dokuchushi. Poison is part of nature. It is the same as a snake eating a rat, or a spider eating a fly. They have only expanded the scale to the level of a battlefield. The true terror of the Dokuchushi is not in combat, but before combat. They put insects in tea at the negotiation table, release insects into the enemy commander's bedroom, and throw insects into wells. Before combat even begins, the enemy is already collapsing from within. The problem is the smell. A Dokuchushi's body always carries the stench of poisonous insects, enough to make anyone nearby nauseous. There is no place in human society where a Dokuchushi is welcome, not even among other shinobi.
- Recommended Weapons: blow needle (poison needle), poison blade (coated sword), traps (installed)
- Recommended Schools: Koga-ryu Taboo Faction, Insect Way (independent school)
- Recommended Faction Traits: Koga-ryu (origin, but excommunicated) or Hannyakai (poison research)
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: Curse Insect Servitude (蠱蟲使役) [aptitude]
[aptitude] Curse Insect Servitude (蠱蟲使役)
Effect: Constantly command 1 curse insect born from kodoku (Minion-grade, Wounds 1, Defense 8).
The curse insect moves while hidden (automatic Infiltration success).
**Parasitize** 1 enemy unit: while parasitizing, target Wounds -1 each round.
Parasitism continues unless discovered (discovery: Medicine 15 or Sorcery 15).
Detoxification attempt difficulty +5 (the insect digests antidotes).
Zone: The insect moves freely through all zones. When parasitizing, it is in the same zone as the target.#3rd-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poison Fog Spread (毒霧擴散) | [Kata] | 3 | 1/round | Scatter poison fog in your zone. Give poisoned status to all units in the zone except yourself. Poison: Wounds -1 per round, lasts 2 rounds. Detoxification difficulty +3. |
| Insect Egg Ambush (蟲卵埋伏) | [Kata] | 2 | 3/combat | Install an insect egg trap in a designated zone. When an enemy enters that zone, it triggers automatically: 1 curse insect immediately parasitizes the entering enemy. Discovery difficulty: Infiltration 16. |
| Poison Blood Enhancement (毒血强化) | [aptitude] | — | — | Your blood becomes poisoned. Automatically counterattack a melee enemy who attacks you: give poisoned status (Wounds -1 per round, 1 round). Your poison attack effects +1. |
#5th-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Detonation (體內爆破) | [Kata] | 4 | 1/round | Explode a curse insect currently parasitizing a target. Target Wounds -4. The insect disappears. The explosion also gives poisoned status to adjacent units (Wounds -1 per round, 1 round). |
| Poison Insect Proliferation (毒蟲增殖) | [aptitude] | — | — | Expand the number of commanded curse insects to 3. Each insect can parasitize independently. However, while commanding 3 at once, the practitioner also loses Wounds -1 each lull (the insects demand nourishment). |
| Kodoku Ritual (蠱毒儀式) | [Kata] | 5 | 1/session | Pre-combat ritual. Create enhanced kodoku from the jar: a Veteran-grade insect (Wounds 3, Defense 12, while parasitizing Wounds -2/round). Disappears at session end. |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body of Ten Thousand Poisons (萬毒之身) | [aptitude] | — | — | Complete immunity to all poisons + poison attack effects are 3 times stronger (x3). Poison fog range expands to adjacent zones. Your presence itself is a poison source (毒源): if you remain in the same zone for 3 or more rounds, that zone is permanently contaminated until combat ends. |
| Parasitic Control (寄生操縱) | [Kata] | 5 | 1/combat | Control 1 parasitized enemy. Opposed Finesse check (2d10+Finesse vs enemy 2d10+Courage). On success, direct the target's actions for 1 round. During control, the insect's parasite damage is temporarily paused. |
| Formless Infiltration (無形浸透) | [aptitude] | — | — | Curse insects can parasitize while ignoring barriers/walls. They can directly parasitize enemies inside barriers. Negates exorcism barrier effects that block poison insects. |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| King of a Hundred Poisons (百毒の王) | [aptitude] | — | — | Unlimited number of commanded curse insects. All insects' parasite damage +1. When an enemy is incapacitated, the insect automatically leaves → reparasitizes an adjacent enemy. The entire battlefield becomes the insects' domain. |
| Self-Parasitism (自己寄生) | [aptitude] | — | — | Parasitize your own body with kodoku and become undying. When incapacitated, the insects reconstruct the body: after 2 rounds, revive with Wounds 3 (1/session). On revival, appearance changes (insect features partially emerge). |
#Extreme Strengths
- Poison effects 3 times stronger (7th-dan trait). Strongest poison-line attack power.
- Curse insect parasitism is extremely hard to discover: hidden ongoing damage.
- Detoxification difficulty +5 effectively neutralizes enemy Medicine/detoxification.
- Battlefield control through pre-combat Insect Egg Ambush. Advantage begins before combat starts.
- Internal Detonation can convert parasitism into instant-death-grade damage.
#Extreme Weaknesses
- Backlash on insect death: if a parasitizing insect dies, the practitioner takes 2 Wounds of Backlash damage. More insects mean greater danger.
- No access to herbs/antidotes: the insects instinctively avoid/destroy herbs. You cannot carry antidotes either.
- Negotiation -2: the stench of poisonous insects from the body. First impression -2 to every NPC within 1 zone.
- Fire is lethal medicine: insects die instantly to fire. Fire Attack techniques wipe out all insects + forcibly end parasitism.
- Companions avoid them: allied units dislike being in the same zone as a Dokuchushi. Allied Cohesion -1 in the same zone.
#Typical Breath Pattern (5th Dan)
Count 11 — First breath:
command curse insect parasitism (enemy commander) + movement (infiltration)(2) = 2
Count 7 — Second breath:
Poison Fog Spread(3) → whole zone poisoned
→ enemy commander: parasite(-1) + poison(-1) = -2 per round
Count 4 — Third breath:
Internal Detonation(4) → enemy commander Wounds -4 + adjacent poison spread
→ remaining Energy: 11 - 2 - 3 - 4 = 2 (wait hidden)
→ enemy commander cumulative damage: parasite(2) + poison(2) + detonation(4) = 8#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Front Zone | Many enemies are in range of Poison Fog Spread. However, the main body risks exposure. |
| Rear Zone | Home ground. Hide while sending insects forward and controlling them. |
| Core Zone | Parasitize the enemy commander directly. If Insect Egg Ambush is installed in the Core Zone, it automatically parasitizes the enemy commander on entry. |
| Outside Zone/Supply Route | Best for pre-combat contamination. Release insects into wells/food to accumulate damage before combat starts. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts Conflict
The Dokuchushi's Three Ways and Six Hearts point toward Demon. One who handles poison and curses is also one who loves nature.
- "Poison is part of nature. Do we call it evil when a snake eats a rat?" The Dokuchushi's self-justification. But the massacre inside the jar is not nature.
- "Iga excommunicated me. They called it cowardice. But I was the one who completed the mission." The conflict between efficiency and ethics.
- "The insects are eating me. Am I commanding the insects, or being commanded by them?" Fear that the relationship between servant and master has reversed.
- NPC Opposition: Iga-ryu targets them for assassination as "traitors." Koga-ryu sometimes hires them as "useful tools." Physicians/apothecaries feel both scholarly interest and fear toward "a poison that cannot be detoxified."
- PC Corruption Route: If a shinobi or onmyoji PC comes into contact with kodoku sorcery, the GM may offer "class change to Dokuchushi." After changing class, the character is permanently excommunicated from Iga-ryu.
"Do you hear it? That buzzing. It is coming from inside your belly."
#Example Character
→ Integrated Sample for 12 Fiend Classes (1/5/10 Dan + Corruption Path Story)