#Episode 2: Sutra of the Core Zone
#Scent -- The Spider Well
The sun was sinking. In the ruined village, only traces of people remained. Broken doors, toppled jars, dry paddies. And in the middle of the village, a stone-built well. White thread lay across the stone floor around it. Spider thread. It stretched from inside the well and wrapped around nearby pillars and roofs. Even when the wind blew, the thread did not break. This was no ordinary spiderweb.
Enku stood before the well, brought his hands together, and chanted a sutra. It was a short mantra. The air trembled faintly. Something answered from inside the well -- the darkness stirred. Enku stopped the chant and opened his eyes. Behind him stood five warrior monks with staves. Their faces were pale.
"It's inside," Enku said.
Aterui was sitting on the rim of the well, looking down into it. There was only darkness. But a smell rose from it. The smell of blood and poison. Aterui wrinkled his nose.
"Big," he said. "Not just one."
Renge stepped forward from among the warrior monks. She held a vajra in both hands. Her face was calm. That did not mean she felt no fear. It meant she had swallowed it. She looked back at the warrior monks.
"As long as I am here, we will not collapse," Renge said. "Just remember that."
The warrior monks' staves rattled. But not one of them stepped back. Because Renge stood there. Her presence was an invisible wall. As if the sutra still lingered in the air -- where she stood, the shaking stopped.
Enku drew his katana. Sutra text was carved into the blade. He set one foot on the well's rim. Aterui stood up on the opposite side. The two met each other's eyes without speaking. No words were needed.
Enku jumped first. Darkness swallowed him. Spider thread brushed his robe. His blade flashed -- cutting webbing inside the narrow well as he fell. The place he landed was not the ground. It was a floor made of spider thread. The threads wrapped up to his ankles. And in the darkness, eyes glowed. Eight of them. Spider eyes.
Oogumo climbed down the wall. Three of them. Spiders as tall as a person's waist bared their poison fangs and came toward Enku. The space was tight. Broad motions were impossible. Enku gripped the katana short and thrust forward. He pierced one spider through the eye. It screamed -- if it could be called a scream -- and recoiled. The other two lunged from both sides.
Then a shadow fell from above. Aterui. He did not grab the webbing. Falling bare-handed, he landed on one spider's back. The sound of legs breaking followed. Aterui used the landing's force and drove his fist down. The spider's shell split. It was crushed flat against the floor. Aterui stepped off the dead spider's back and turned toward the last one. He was bare-handed. He had no weapon. But his hands were weapons. The spider raised its poison fangs and rushed him. Aterui stepped on one fang and seized the spider's head with his other hand. He tightened his grip. The spider's head caved in.
Above the well, another fight was unfolding. Small spiders began crawling out from the webbing around the well. They were small, but there were many. The warrior monks swung their staves and struck the spiders. But fear began to spread at the things that kept crawling up from the darkness. One warrior monk dropped his staff. His legs had gone weak.
Renge began chanting a sutra. Her voice was low and deep. The words rode the air and spread. They reached the warrior monks' ears. A hand picked the dropped staff back up. As long as Renge's voice did not stop -- their hearts did not break. Even when spiders crawled up, even when poison fangs flashed, Renge's sutra held that place together.
The earth shook below the well. Enku and Aterui looked back at the same time. From beneath the spider-thread floor -- from the true ground -- something was rising. The webbing drew taut. Something larger than an oogumo. Something with even more legs. Kumoboss. The master of the well. A spider twice a person's height slowly climbed up along the web. Poison dripped from its fangs. The thread-floor dissolved in the venom.
Enku tightened his grip on the katana again. Aterui clenched his fist. Inside the narrow well, there was nowhere to run. Renge's sutra came faintly from above. Enku steadied his breathing to its rhythm. He formed the Seal of Shura.
And took one step into the darkness.
#Law -- Session Actual Play
Kuro (GM) / Hana (Enku + Aterui) / Mei (Renge)
Kuro: Episode 2. This time we handle the Core Zone rules properly. I'll describe the battlefield. It's a ruined village. The zone structure looks like this.
[Flank Zone: roofs/trees] --- [Allied Front Zone: village entrance] --- [Enemy Front Zone: village interior] --- [Core Zone: inside the well]Hana: The Core Zone is inside the well. An underground zone?
Kuro: Right. The inside of the well is full of spiderwebs. A narrow, dark space. Core Zone rules apply.
Mei: Summarize the Core Zone rules for me. We didn't have a Core Zone last episode.
Kuro: OK, let's summarize. Core Zone rules:
[Core Zone Rules]
1. Domination bonuses are invalid: bonuses from stances, terrain, squads, and similar sources do not apply.
2. Cancellation between sides: subtract the two sides' remaining Domination contributions from each other, then treat any negative result as 0. Do not automatically set both sides to 0.
3. Short weapons: Energy -1 (minimum 1). A technique already at 1 Energy instead reduces Combo Fatigue from -2/-4/-6 to -1/-2/-3.
4. Standard weapons (katana, vajra, etc.): no Energy change.
5. Long weapons (yari, nodachi, long staff, etc.): Energy +1.
6. If a ranged attack from outside the Core Zone misses a target inside it, it hits an ally as friendly fire on d100 01~30.Hana: Wait, so a standard weapon like a katana has no change to either its check or its Energy in the Core Zone?
Kuro: Right. That is why Seal of Shura exists. Seal of Shura effect:
[Seal of Shura]
- Core Zone entry without a check: enter for 2 Energy without making a check. Exiting follows the separate Core Zone exit rules.
- Core Zone melee technique Energy -1 (minimum 1): when using a melee technique inside the Core Zone, apply Energy cost -1.Mei: So not just anyone can enter the Core Zone?
Kuro: Classes with free entry pay 2 Energy and enter without a check. Other Commander- and Elite-grade units need 3 Energy and a 2d10+Courage >= 13 Forced Breakthrough. The six free-entry classes are ronin, shinobi, esoteric monk, shugenja, wildlander, and hanyo.
Hana: Aterui is a wildlander, so Hand of Kamuy. Unarmed for 1 Energy and free Core Zone entry?
Kuro: Right. Hand of Kamuy summary:
[Hand of Kamuy]
- Unarmed attack Energy 1: may attack for 1 Energy without a weapon.
- On a hit, choose either push or grapple, 1/round.
- A wildlander's unarmed attack counts as a standard attack: 2 Wounds on a Critical Hit.
- Free Core Zone entry and exit. Entry itself still costs 2 Energy.Hana: But isn't unarmed damage weak?
Kuro: Against a Minion, a hit reduces Wounds 1 to 0, so it becomes incapacitated regardless of weapon. Against a Veteran or higher, an unarmed strike deals the basic 1 Wound and does not add an attribute to damage. A wildlander's unarmed attack counts as a standard attack, however, so a Critical Hit deals 2 Wounds.
Mei: Ah, attributes go into the attack check, and the Wound loss is the value written in the technique.
Kuro: Right. Aterui's strength is that Hand of Kamuy makes his unarmed strike a 1-Energy standard attack. Now, let's confirm the characters.
[Allies]
Enku (esoteric monk 1st dan): Courage +1, Physique +2, Energy 10, Wounds 6(3+Physique 2+Toughness 1), Defense 10(no armor). Unarmed Combat Trained(+1).
Seal of Shura: free Core Zone entry, Core Zone melee -1 Energy(minimum 1). Tanto+unarmed.
Aterui (wildlander 1st dan): Courage +2, Physique +1, Finesse +0, Energy 10, Wounds 5(3+Physique 1+Toughness 1). Unarmed Combat Trained(+1).
Hand of Kamuy: unarmed 1 Energy; on hit, push/grapple(1/round); free Core Zone entry.
Renge (Pure Land Monk 1st dan): Presence +2, Physique +1, Finesse +0, Energy 10, Wounds 5(3+Physique 1+Toughness 1), Defense 11. Spearmanship Novice(+0).
Amida's Shield: if a squad in the same zone would reach Cohesion 0, it remains at 1. Naginata.
Warrior monk squad (5 Minions, staves): Cohesion 3.
[Enemies]
Oogumo x3 (3 Veteran individuals): Wounds 2, Defense 13, Courage +0, Unarmed Combat Novice(+0), spider thread+poison fangs.
Kumoboss x1 (Elite): Wounds 4, Defense 14, Energy 10, Courage +2, Unarmed Combat Novice(+0).Hana: Enku's Defense is 10? Because he has no armor?
Kuro: Right. This sample Enku has unarmored Defense 10. If he gets cut, it's bad.
Mei: Explain Renge's Amida's Shield a bit more.
Kuro: Amida's Shield:
[Amida's Shield]
- If an allied squad in the same zone would reach Cohesion 0, it does not collapse and remains at 1.
- When Renge moves, the effect area moves to the new zone and no longer applies to the previous zone.
- This effect does not restore Cohesion to its cap.Mei: So Cohesion is 0, but they don't fall apart?
Kuro: More precisely, they do not remain at 0; they remain at 1. While Renge is in the same zone, their last point of Cohesion does not break.
Hana: So they effectively become a living wall.
Kuro: Good phrase. Yes. But Renge's role is to protect the squad rather than attack directly. The naginata is for emergencies; her true role is to hold the last point of Cohesion.
Mei: Good. Got it. Renge deploys in the allied Front Zone with the warrior monks.
Kuro: OK. What about Enku and Aterui?
Hana: Enku deploys in the enemy Front Zone. I'll start near the well. Aterui is there too.
Kuro: Enemy Front Zone deployment is possible. But the 3 enemy oogumo are in the enemy Front Zone, and Kumoboss is in the Core Zone (inside the well).
Hana: So first we clear the outside oogumo, then enter the Core Zone.
Kuro: Right. Or you can ignore the oogumo and enter the Core Zone immediately. Enku and Aterui both have free entry, so each can enter for 2 Energy without a check. But if you leave the oogumo behind, Renge and the warrior monk squad in the rear are in danger.
Hana: Renge has Amida's Shield, so the warrior monk squad won't collapse right away, will it?
Kuro: Right. Their Cohesion is 3, but while Amida's Shield applies, it cannot fall to 0 and remains at 1.
Mei: I'll hold with the warrior monks for now. Enku and Aterui will enter the Core Zone.
Hana: OK. Strategy summary. In round 1, we clear as many oogumo as possible, then enter the Core Zone in the next round after the lull.
Kuro: Good. Round starts. Count order.
Aterui: Energy 10 (Finesse +0)
Enku: Energy 10 (Finesse +0)
Renge: Energy 10 (Finesse +0, tied but allies act before enemies)
Oogumo: Energy 10 (all same, tied but after Renge)
Kumoboss: Energy 10 (waiting in the Core Zone)Mei: Kumoboss doesn't come out from the Core Zone?
Kuro: Not yet. Scenario condition. If someone enters the Core Zone, it awakens and begins acting. Until then, it waits.
Hana: At tied count 10, the allies will choose their order. Aterui first. Unarmed attack against oogumo A. Since it's Hand of Kamuy, unarmed 1 Energy.
Kuro: Unarmed attack. 2d10 + Courage(+2) + Unarmed Combat(Trained +1) >= Defense 13.
Hana: 2d10... 7, 5 = total 12. Add Courage +2 and Unarmed Combat +1 for 15. Hit!
Kuro: Hit. Base 1 Wound damage. Oogumo A is a Veteran individual. Veteran individual Wounds 2. 2 → 1.
Hana: One more hit can finish it. Second attack. Unarmed 1 Energy. Energy 10 → 8. Final check result 14. Hit again!
Kuro: Hit. Add 1 Wound. Oogumo A Wounds 1 → 0. Defeated!
Kuro: Still count 10. Continue in the order Enku, Renge, and oogumo.
Hana: Enku makes 2 unarmed strikes. Each costs 1 Energy, so Energy 10 → 8. 2d10+Courage(+1)+Unarmed Combat(Trained +1) >= Defense 13. Both hit!
Kuro: 2 hits on oogumo B. Wounds 2 → 0. Defeated! 1 Veteran remains.
Mei: Renge also uses an upper slash with her naginata. Energy 10 → 8. 2d10+Finesse(+0)+Spearmanship(Novice +0) >= Defense 13. 2d10 = 14. Hit!
Kuro: Good dice. 1 Wound. Oogumo C Wounds 2 → 1. One more hit finishes it.
Mei: From here on, I'll focus on squad support.
Kuro: Oogumo C counterattacks. Spider thread + poison fangs against Enku. 2d10+Courage(+0)+Unarmed Combat(Novice +0) >= Defense 10. 2d10 = 11. Hit!
Hana: With Defense 10, everything hits him.
Kuro: That's the price of no armor. 1 Wound + poison. Enku Wounds 6 → 5. Poison deals 1 Wound at each lull or every 1 hour, and is removed on either 2d10+Physique >= 13 or 2d10+Wisdom+Medicine/Poisoncraft >= 13. Then the warrior monk Cohesion check, 2d10 >= 11 -- 2d10 = 7, failure. Cohesion 3 → 2.
Mei: Already down to 2. Without Amida's Shield, they would collapse fast.
Kuro: Count 8. Aterui. Unarmed 1 Energy against the remaining oogumo C. Energy 8 → 7. 2d10+Courage(+2)+Unarmed Combat(Trained +1) >= Defense 13, final result 16. Hit! Oogumo C Wounds 1 → 0. Defeated. All oogumo wiped out!
Mei: Outside is clear.
Kuro: Enemy Front Zone clear. But Kumoboss is still in the Core Zone. And don't forget Enku's poison effect. When the lull begins, resolve the poison's 1 Wound first. For now, he stays at Wounds 5.
Hana: Let's go to a lull. There are no enemies in the enemy Front Zone, so lull conditions are met, right?
Kuro: Hm, Kumoboss is in the Core Zone, but no enemy is currently engaged, so lull is possible. Let's resolve the lull.
[Lull Resolution]
- Energy reset at the start of the next round: Enku 10, Aterui 10, Renge 10.
- Defenseless removed: none.
- Poison triggers: Enku Wounds 5 → 4.
- Poison removal check: `2d10+Physique(+2) >= 13`. The 2d10 result is 11, for a final result of 13, so the poison is removed.
- Upkeep: only techniques explicitly marked `[Upkeep]` can be used. None of these three has an Upkeep technique to use.Mei: What's an upkeep maneuver?
Kuro: It is not a common list from which anyone can choose an action during a lull. Only traits and techniques explicitly marked [Upkeep] can be used. Examples include an onmyoji's shikigami redeployment or certain high-dan Pure Land Monk traits.
[This Lull]
- Enku/Aterui/Renge: no available [Upkeep] techniques.
- Warrior monk squad: Cohesion remains 2.
- Core Zone entry is handled as normal movement during the next round.Hana: Then Enku and Aterui will enter the Core Zone through normal movement during the next round.
Kuro: Both have free entry, so there is no check, but each must pay 2 Energy.
Hana: We can combine movement and an attack in one breath, so let's do that.
Kuro: OK. Resolve it when the next round begins.
Mei: Renge and the warrior monks will guard the outside. Cohesion remains 2.
Kuro: OK.
Hana: Good. Now it's Core Zone combat.
Kuro: Lull ends, round 2 begins. When Enku and Aterui declare Core Zone entry, Kumoboss awakens. Count order.
Aterui: Energy 10 (Finesse +0)
Enku: Energy 10
Renge: Energy 10 (waiting in allied Front Zone)
Kumoboss: Energy 10, Finesse +0 (awakens upon Core Zone entry)Kuro: Now the Core Zone rules apply properly.
[Core Zone Combat Conditions]
- Invalidate Domination bonuses, then cancel the two sides' contributions against each other. Do not automatically set both sides to 0.
- Short weapons have Energy -1 (minimum 1), or ease Combo Fatigue for a 1-Energy technique.
- Standard weapons such as katana have no Energy change; long weapons have Energy +1.
- Unarmed counts as a short weapon, but cannot fall below 1 Energy. A wildlander's unarmed strike is a standard attack, so a Critical Hit deals 2 Wounds.Hana: Enku and Aterui can enter without a check, but they still pay the 2-Energy entry cost, right?
Kuro: Right. Free entry waives the Forced Breakthrough check, not the cost. Separately from entry, Enku's Seal of Shura applies Energy -1 to Core Zone melee techniques, to a minimum of 1.
Hana: Both of their unarmed strikes already cost 1 Energy, so the cost cannot fall any lower.
Kuro: Right. Instead, when striking the same target four or more times in the same round, they receive the short-weapon reduction to Combo Fatigue.
Mei: Aterui is stronger in the Core Zone, then.
Kuro: This is why wildlanders are strong in the Core Zone. Hand of Kamuy means a 1-Energy unarmed standard attack plus free Core Zone entry and exit. A specialist in Core Zone combat.
Hana: Count 10, Aterui. Core Zone entry costs 2 Energy, then 2 unarmed attacks against Kumoboss, for 4 Energy total. Energy 10 → 6.
Kuro: Kumoboss Defense 14. 2d10 + Courage(+2) + Unarmed Combat(Trained +1) >= 14. The final results are 15 and 14, so both hit. Kumoboss Wounds 4 → 3 → 2.
Kuro: At the same count 10, Enku.
Hana: Enku also pays 2 Energy to enter the Core Zone, then makes 2 unarmed strikes. Even with Seal of Shura, each has a minimum cost of 1 Energy, so 4 Energy total. Energy 10 → 6.
Kuro: 2d10 + Courage(+1) + Unarmed Combat(Trained +1) >= 14. The first final result is 16 -- hit! 1 Wound, Kumoboss 2 → 1. The second 2d10 result is 8, for a final result of 10 -- miss.
Kuro: Kumoboss also awakens at count 10 and counterattacks. Poison fangs. 2d10 + Courage(+2) + Unarmed Combat(Novice +0) >= Enku Defense 10. Final result 14 -- hit.
Hana: With Defense 10, Elite-grade enemies hit almost every time...
Kuro: Poison fangs, 1 Wound + poison. Enku Wounds 4 → 3. The poison triggers at the next lull or after 1 hour.
Hana: Enku is too fragile. We need to finish this fast.
Kuro: An unarmored esoteric monk in the Core Zone is like this. The only answer is to end it quickly with damage output.
Mei: Can Renge do anything from above?
Kuro: Renge is in the allied Front Zone. She can't intervene directly in the Core Zone. But keeping the warrior monk squad together matters. Additional spiders may emerge from the Core Zone before Kumoboss dies.
Kuro: A scenario trigger replenishes 1 oogumo if Kumoboss survives until the next lull. You need to finish quickly.
Mei: They come outside too?!
Kuro: Right. The lull has not arrived yet, so one does not appear immediately.
Mei: Do we make a Cohesion check?
Kuro: No. Move to the next count.
Hana: Count 6. Aterui makes 1 unarmed attack. Energy 6 → 5.
Kuro: 2d10+Courage(+2)+Unarmed Combat(Trained +1) >= Defense 14, final result 15 -- hit. 1 Wound. Kumoboss 1 → 0. Defeated!
Hana: One hit. I won't declare another attack.
Kuro: You pay only the 1 Energy for the one attack actually declared, leaving 5 Energy. Kumoboss is defeated, so we enter the end-of-combat state.
Mei: Aterui did it!
Kuro: Kumoboss defeated! Inside the well, the webbing starts to unravel. The master of the Core Zone is dead.
Hana: What about Enku's poison?
Kuro: Poison is not removed simply because combat ends. At the post-combat lull it first triggers for 1 Wound, taking Enku from Wounds 3 → 2. Then he rolls 2d10+Physique(+2) >= 13; the 2d10 result is 11, for a final result of 13, so the poison is removed.
[End of Combat Summary]
- Kumoboss defeated. Core Zone cleared.
- Oogumo wiped out. The boss's next-lull reinforcement trigger did not occur.
- Enku Wounds 2/6. Poison removal check succeeded during the post-combat lull. Remaining Energy 6.
- Aterui Wounds 5, remaining Energy 5. Renge Wounds 5, remaining Energy 10.
- Warrior monk squad Cohesion 2. No collapse.Mei: There wasn't much chance to use Amida's Shield.
Kuro: That's because you cleared the oogumo outside quickly this time. If the oogumo had focused attacks on the warrior monks, Cohesion could have gone to 0. Without Renge then, collapse → warrior monks incapacitated → allied Front Zone Defenseless.
Hana: Core Zone combat really is different. Even with free entry, the 2-Energy entry cost has to be included in the action plan.
Kuro: Esoteric monks are strong in the Core Zone because Seal of Shura reduces the Energy cost of melee techniques by 1. An unarmed strike already at 1 Energy cannot be reduced further, but the difference grows when they mix in expensive melee techniques.
Mei: Aterui is the opposite. High accuracy and cheap Energy.
Kuro: Wildlanders are kings of the Core Zone. But outside the Core Zone, they have no armor, can't command squads, and can't receive stance bonuses. They're a class specialized for the Core Zone.
Hana: Renge has low combat power, but maintaining the warrior monks is the key. Without Amida's Shield, Cohesion management would have been much tighter.
Kuro: That's the role of the Pure Land Monk. Not to fight, but to keep those who fight from falling.
Mei: That's a good line. As long as the sutra doesn't stop, they won't collapse.
Kuro: Good. Let's summarize the rules.
[Episode 2 Confirmed Rules]
1. Core Zone: invalidate Domination bonuses, then cancel the two sides' contributions. Treat a negative result as 0, but do not automatically set both sides to 0.
2. Core Zone weapon modifiers affect Energy, not checks: short -1 (minimum 1, or eased Combo Fatigue), standard ±0, long +1.
3. Classes with free Core Zone entry: ronin/shinobi/esoteric monk/shugenja/wildlander/hanyo. They enter without a check but still spend 2 Energy.
4. Seal of Shura: Core Zone melee techniques have an additional Energy -1 (minimum 1). Standard katana 2 Energy → 1 Energy.
5. Hand of Kamuy: 1-Energy unarmed standard attack; on hit, push/grapple 1/round; free Core Zone entry/exit.
6. Amida's Shield: if a squad in the same zone would reach Cohesion 0, it remains at 1. When Renge moves, the effect area moves with her.
7. Cohesion collapse: Cohesion 0 = squad collapse (flight/incapacitation). Amida's Shield is the only exception.
8. Lull: Energy resets at the start of the next round; Defenseless and reservations end; per-round limits reset. Persistent effects such as poison follow their own removal conditions.
9. Upkeep maneuver: only traits/techniques explicitly marked `[Upkeep]` can be used. There is no common choice list.
10. Veteran individual: Wounds 2 (independent individual, not a squad). Elite: Wounds 3~4. Lord: Wounds 3+Physique. All attacks are base 1 Wound (Critical Hit 2).Hana: Does combat outside the Core Zone get more complicated next episode?
Kuro: Episode 3 focuses on the Outside Zone. Infiltration and teppo. A completely different mood.
Mei: Next time, I want to fight directly.
Kuro: Renge comes back in Episode 6. It's a non-combat scenario, though.
Mei: ...Not combat again?
Kuro: That's the Pure Land Monk as a class.
"As long as the sutra does not stop, they do not collapse. Wherever she stands becomes a castle wall."