English edition v1.5
#Zakkasho (雜貨商, Black Market Dealer)
"There is nothing in this world that cannot be bought." A general dealer in the back alleys of Sakai. Weapons, people, and information are all for sale.
- Role: combat supply, mercenary hiring, information trade, economic disruption
- Core Attributes: Presence (美), Wisdom (智)
- Core Zone Entry: forced Breakthrough
- Base Class: Merchant × Artisan
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: fixed No-Heart (cannot change), "morality gets in the way of business."
- Skills Eligible for Master Rank: Bribery, Negotiation, Deceit, Perception, Disable, Survival
- Starting Automatic Skills: Bribery Trained, Negotiation Novice, Deceit Novice, Disable Novice
Common to Majin Classes: GM permission required. See Villain Play Guide.
#Scent — The Price of Everything
In the back alleys of Sakai, there is a shop with no sign. Step inside and you find katana, Tanegashima, Nanban-made armor, unidentified medicine bottles, and yoma parts stored in glass jars. In the rear room, there is a ledger with prices for people: a mercenary's daily wage, a shinobi's assassination fee, even the bounty on a daimyo's head (首級). The owner of this shop is Zakkasho.
Zakkasho does not fight. More precisely, Zakkasho does not need to fight. Gold is faster than a blade, and bribery is more efficient than combat. Throw a purse of gold at an enemy ashigaru squad and they lower their spears; offer an enemy shinobi twice the price and they betray their lord. On the battlefield, Zakkasho is a "mobile supply depot." They supply allies with arrows, replace broken armor, and when needed, hire a mercenary squad on the spot with gold.
Few know the name Ebisuya Gin'emon (戎屋銀右衛門). But if one hand rules Sakai's black market, it is Gin'emon's. Zakkasho is Gin'emon's eye, hand, and mouth; or perhaps Zakkasho is Gin'emon. There is no way to confirm it. Whether the hand counting gold is stained with blood or clean, Zakkasho does not care. Only the price matters.
- Recommended Weapons: kaiken (hidden dagger, last resort), none (avoiding combat is the rule)
- Recommended Schools: none (not a combat school, but a commercial network)
- Recommended Faction Traits: Sakai Guild (merchant alliance), Ebisuya Company (black market), independent trader
#Core Resource: Enhanced Gold Coins (金貨)
Zakkasho extremely expands the merchant gold-coin system.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Basic holdings per combat | 8 gold coins (merchant 5 + Zakkasho bonus 3) |
| Automatic gain per lull | +2 |
| Gold coin cap per combat | 30 |
| Additional gold coin gain | +1 when an enemy is killed (loot), +0 when an enemy is bribed (expense) |
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: General Dealer (萬物商) [aptitude] + [Kata]
[aptitude] + [Kata] General Dealer (萬物商)
Effect: Make spot trades with gold coins during combat. Constant effects:
- Each trade is a `0 Energy ([Kata])` maneuver. Each trade has its own limit of once per round, and each executor can use at most two `0 Energy ([Kata])` maneuvers in total per round.
- Spend 2 gold coins → immediately purchase 1 consumable of your choice (arrows, herbs, repair tools, etc.).
- Spend 3 gold coins → request 1 hint from the GM (enemy placement, weakness, ambush, or other information trade).
- Spend 5 gold coins → immediately hire 1 squad of 3 Minions using the [Mercenary Band](../../co-06-units/co-06-06-squads.md#mercenary-band-傭兵團) techniques (until combat ends; follows Zakkasho's squad orders).
- If gold coins reach 0, **all Zakkasho traits become unusable**. An empty-handed merchant is the same as a civilian.#3rd-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency Supply (緊急補給) | [Kata] | 1 | 1/round | Spend 2 gold coins. Recover Wounds +1 for 1 ally in the same or adjacent zone (equipment replacement/medicine administration). "Repair fee separate." |
| Bribery Operation (買收工作) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | Spend 3 gold coins. Against 1 enemy Minion/Mob squad, 2d10+Presence+Negotiation >= 13. On success, that squad stops acting for 1 round (bribed soldiers waver). No effect on Veteran-grade or higher. |
| Black Market Network (暗市場網) | [aptitude] | — | — | Outside combat, can gather information in any city for 1 gold coin. During combat: gain additional gold coins +1 at each lull (backroom-deal income). |
#5th-Dan Class Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battlefield Auction (戰場競賣) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/combat | Spend 5 gold coins. Auction on the spot battlefield loot such as enemy equipment or yoma parts. One ally applies the ordinary effect of one item until combat ends. Masterwork techniques and Devotion still require their separate Understanding and skill prerequisites; after combat, the item returns to its original loot pile. |
| Mercenary Company Contract (傭兵團契約) | [Kata] | 3 | 1/combat | Spend 8 gold coins. Hire 1 Veteran-grade mercenary until combat ends. The mercenary is an individual unit, not a squad, and uses the dedicated block below. If reduced to Wounds 1 or lower, the mercenary flees. |
| Price Manipulation (價格操作) | [aptitude] | — | — | All gold coin costs -1 (minimum 1). "I buy wholesale." The 1st-dan General Dealer's consumable purchase becomes 1 gold coin, and Minion squad hiring becomes 4 gold coins. |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ebisuya's Hand (戎屋の手) | [Kata] | 3 | 1/session | Spend 10 gold coins. Choose 1: [Nanban Cannon] everyone in one designated zone immediately loses 3 Wounds; [Vajra (genuine)] one ally's next Exorcism check gains +5, once during this combat; [Secret Elixir] one ally immediately recovers all Wounds; [Poison] one enemy Veteran-grade target loses 2 Wounds at each lull until combat ends. |
| Human Trafficking (人身賣買) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | Spend 6 gold coins. Against 1 enemy Minion/Mob squad, roll 2d10+Presence+Bribery >= 13. On success, convert it into an ally until combat ends; it follows Zakkasho's squad orders. After combat, survivors flee or surrender and never become permanent allies. On failure, only the gold coins are spent. "People have prices too." |
| Insurance Contract (保險契約) | [aptitude] | — | 1/combat | Before the first count at combat start, spend 4 gold coins and designate 1 allied Lord/Elite. Just before the target would be removed at Wounds 0, it remains at Wounds 3; from then for 1 round, Wound loss it receives from attacks becomes 0. "Insurance payout." |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zaibatsu of the Realm (天下の財閥) | [aptitude] | — | — | Increase the gold coin cap per combat to 50. Automatically gain gold coins +5 at each lull. Start combat with 15 gold coins. "All of Sakai is my vault." |
| War Profiteering (戰爭特需) | [aptitude] | — | — | Gain gold coins +3 whenever an enemy becomes incapacitated (loot recovery). Gain gold coins +1 even when an ally becomes incapacitated (insurance recovery). "War is the best business, no matter who dies." |
#Veteran-Grade Mercenary Dedicated Block
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Wounds / Defense / Energy | 3 / 14 / 0 |
| Mercenary Order | On Zakkasho's breath, spend 2 Energy with a [Kata] to order movement or a basic attack. Once per round. The attack rolls 2d10 >= Defense; on hit, the target loses 1 Wound. |
| Actions | The mercenary gains no independent count or action and acts only through Mercenary Order. It is not a squad, so squad orders, Overall Command, squad tactics, and Cohesion do not apply. |
| Withdrawal | At current Wounds 1 or lower, it immediately retreats from the battlefield and ends the contract. |
#Extreme Strengths
- Universal supply during combat: consumables, equipment, mercenaries, information; if there is gold, anything is possible.
- Ally Wound recovery: Emergency Supply restores allied Wounds during combat. A lifeline for parties without a healer.
- Bribe enemy squads: reduce enemy numbers and increase allied numbers. Secure numerical advantage.
- Information trade: buy GM hints with gold. Metagame-powerful.
- Economic flexibility: freely allocate gold to attack, defense, or support according to the situation.
#Extreme Weaknesses
- Lowest direct combat power: attack checks -2. Has effectively no weapon techniques. In 1 vs 1 combat, even Minions can win.
- Powerless when gold runs out: when gold coins reach 0, all Zakkasho traits become unusable. An empty-handed merchant is a civilian.
- Three Ways fixed to No-Heart: Three Ways and Six Hearts cannot change. No moral growth. Limited interaction with faith factions.
- Social infamy: human trafficking, black-market dealings. If the facts become known, all factions become hostile. Even the Sakai Guild officially denies it.
- Mercenary betrayal: hired mercenaries flee when their Wounds become low. They may also be bribed by an enemy offering more gold.
#Typical Breath Pattern (5th Dan, Supply Focus)
Count 11 — First breath:
Emergency Supply(1, gold coins 2) + spot consumable purchase(0, gold coins 2) = 1 Energy, gold coins 4
→ allied Wounds +1 + supply 1 needed consumable
Count 7 — Second breath:
Bribery Operation(2, gold coins 3) = 2 Energy, gold coins 3
→ enemy Minion squad stops acting
Remaining: Energy 11 - 1 - 2 = 8, gold coins 8 - 4 - 3 = 1 → recover +2 at lull
(Gold management is key. Keep early spending at 8 or less and recover at the lull.)#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Front Zone | Does not go there. If Zakkasho stands in the Front Zone, Zakkasho dies. |
| Rear Zone | Home position. Throws gold from safety. Supply/bribery/hiring all happen here. |
| Core Zone | Never goes there. Zakkasho has neither reason nor ability to enter the Core Zone. |
| Outside Zone | Center of noncombat activity. Black-market deals, information gathering, and mercenary contracts all happen outside. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts Conflict
Zakkasho's Three Ways and Six Hearts are fixed No-Heart, but that does not mean there is no conflict.
- "Do I have no morality, or did I throw morality away?" No-Heart means "no heart." Was empathy absent from birth, or did the back alleys of Sakai take it away?
- "The price of a person": each time Human Trafficking is used, is this a "transaction" or an "evil act"? To Zakkasho, there is no difference. But what about the allies?
- Trust with allies: Zakkasho sees allies as "customers." As long as the customer pays, they receive the best service. But what if an enemy pays more? "I am a merchant. I sell to the highest bidder."
- Relationship with Ebisuya: Is Gin'emon Zakkasho's employer, or is Zakkasho Gin'emon? Drama at the moment the truth is revealed. "Sakai's back alleys are a single personality."
- The end of gold: the moment War Profiteering turns every death into profit, Zakkasho begins to wish the war never ends. "Peace is a recession."
"A sword costs 10 ryo. The hand holding it costs 3 ryo. The head cut by it depends on the market price."
#Example Character
→ Integrated Sample for 12 Majin Classes (1/5/10 Dan + Corruption Path Story)