#Livelihood (生業, Livelihood Skills)

Contents

The craft of Commoners. The expertise cultivated on the front lines of daily life by those who are not the heroes of war tales — not on the battlefield. The fisherman has his tackle, the blacksmith his hammer, the farmer his plough — that is the only war they know.

Core Rulebook References

- Required: skill system · skill list 36

- Reference: non-combat check · Three Ways and Six Hearts

- In this supplement: Design Notes · Resident NPCs · 1st-Rank PC Templates

[New Rule #11] Livelihood (生業) Classification — Extended Special Rule

The core rulebook's 36 skills presuppose the craft of adventurers. Martial arts, mobility, exploration, Command, and the mystic are all skills expressed in battlefield and crisis.

Yet Kagamiyama Domain is not an adventurer's land. Of the domain's 800 residents, barely 20 know any martial art. The remaining 780 are Commoners who have made their living through Livelihood. The core 36 skills alone cannot capture their expertise.

This supplement adds the Livelihood (生業) classification, elevating the lifelong expertise of Commoners to checkable assets. It coexists with the core 36 skills, but cannot be used in battlefield checks, and is valid only for domain management, daily life, and non-combat expertise checks.

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#Scent — The Path of 4 Stages

Look at Yukichi's workshop. Four people are working. Each breathing differently.

Young Genta — Novice (入門). Fourteen. Yukichi's son. He can barely grip the hammer with both hands. Yesterday he grazed his arm on a piece of iron; today he stoked the furnace too high and singed his eyebrows. But he is learning. When to grip the iron in this house, and when to let it go.

"This one still can't tell corroded iron from iron that hasn't cooled. That's fine. I was the same when I was learning. When you've got about thirty scars on your arm, you'll understand."

Hiroshi at the village gate — Proficient (熟練). Forty-two. A former apprentice of Yukichi's. Now a livelihood worker with his own workshop. He makes hoes, sickles, and gate hinges for the domain. Whatever anyone orders, the result is above average. But he doesn't make swords. "My hands are not sword hands." Hiroshi knows that. That is Proficient.

Yukichi — Craftsman (匠人). Seventy. The finest blacksmith in the domain. The swords Yukichi made rest in the hands of the domain's samurai, and there is no gate hinge in the domain that his hammer has not struck. He has the right to attend the domain council, and his word is law for all blacksmithing within the domain. He taught Hiroshi, and now he is teaching his son Genta.

"Genta. I'd like to be able to give you this hammer before you turn twenty. If I can't — it's not that you were slow, it's that I was fast."

And a Master Artisan (名匠) whose name no one knows. He was in Edo. Whether he is still there, I do not know. Yukichi's master's master. The sword he made sleeps now in the lord's study chest. Only the lord and Yukichi have opened it. Seeing that sword, Yukichi said: "This is something I could not imitate even if I lived another lifetime."

That is a Master Artisan. One whose name has traveled far, a height unreachable in a single lifetime.

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#Law — The 4-Stage Rules

#Basic Principles

1. Notation: Livelihood:Blacksmithing, Livelihood:Fishing, etc. — prefix "Livelihood:" + specialty in one word
2. 4 stages: Novice → Proficient → Craftsman → Master Artisan
3. Cost and bonuses:

1. Restrictions:

• No Saint (聖人) stage — the craft of Commoners does not reach the mythic level. The core Saint (automatic success) belongs to the Tatsujin path.
• Cannot be used in battlefield checks — replace with core skills during combat situations
• Valid only for domain, daily life, and non-combat checks
• Cannot acquire schools (流派)

#Check Formula

2d10 + relevant attribute + Livelihood:X bonus (+0 to +3) >= Target Number

The relevant attribute differs per Livelihood (standard: see §Example List below). Target Number follows the core non-combat check standard.

#Narrative Role Distinction by 4 Stages

Play meaning of each stage:

#Novice (+0) — Apprentice

• "One who receives teaching"
• Checks are possible but no bonus. Means the unskilled penalty of -2 is waived
• Typically a boy or girl in their teens (age 10s), or someone who began learning late after adulthood
• A master is required. Takes an NPC of Proficient or higher in the relevant Livelihood as master
• Narrative axis: "Will the day come when I am Proficient?"

#Proficient (+1) — Livelihood Worker

• "One who earns a living by their own hands"
• Can set up a small workshop at the village gate, operate one's own boat, or till one's own field
• Check +1. Ordinary Target Numbers (11–13) generally pass
• The most common stage in the domain — 50–100 Proficient workers among the 800 residents
• Narrative axis: "I do my share"

#Craftsman (+2) — True Expert

• "One the domain consults about this work"
• May attend domain council, declaration rights in the relevant domain
• Principle of 1 Craftsman per Livelihood per domain (Craftsmen must be rare)
• Check +2. Difficult Target Numbers (14–15) also possible
• Can train successors (up to 2 Novices)
• Narrative axis: "This name is etched into this land"

#Master Artisan (+3) — Legend

• "One whose name reaches beyond this domain"
• May or may not exist in the domain — a narrative presence
• Works and results become legend (e.g., "The sword of Master Artisan XX sleeps in some daimyo's chest somewhere")
• Check +3. Extreme Target Numbers (17+) also possible
• Dedicates a lifetime to training successors — the narrative of the apprentice trained by the Master Artisan becoming a Craftsman
• Narrative axis: "This work will remain after I am dead"

Master Artisans rarely appear as NPCs in campaigns. They are usually mentioned as a figure of the past, a legendary name. To meet a living Master Artisan is itself a Side Quest.

#Craftsman and Master Artisan Special Handling

#Craftsman (3 pts) Privileges

• Narrative declaration rights regarding the relevant Livelihood: can confirm facts within the relevant domain in consultation with the GM (e.g., if Craftsman Yukichi declares "this sword cannot be repaired," no repair check is needed)
• Training successors: 1 Craftsman can instruct up to 2 Novices
• Social standing: may participate in domain council (when invited by the lord)
• Check priority: checks regarding the same Livelihood within the domain go to the Craftsman first

#Master Artisan (4 pts) Privileges

• All Craftsman privileges +
• Work becomes legend: a Master Artisan's work carries the narrative weight of the core masterwork weapons. Actual masterwork statistics are separate, but the narrative privilege of "the ___ made by Master Artisan XX"
• Nation-scale influence: the relocation of a single Master Artisan affects the relevant industry of that region (e.g., if a Master Artisan blacksmith moves away, the price of iron in that domain shifts)
• Training successors: can simultaneously instruct 1 Craftsman + any number of Novices
• Master Artisan succession condition: reaching Master Artisan is one or two per generation. Extremely rare even among those who reach Craftsman

#Can Adventurers Learn a Livelihood?

Yes. Invest core skill points. Conditions by stage:

This cannot be achieved by simple point investment alone — a narrative foundation is required. In particular, Master Artisan is most naturally reached at the conclusion of a campaign.

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#Example Livelihood List (16 Types)

Unlimited expansion: This list is an example; the GM may add new Livelihoods suited to the domain, era, and campaign ("Livelihood:Falconry", "Livelihood:Bass Flute", etc.). Only the principles need be observed.

#Agriculture, Fishing, and Forestry

#Crafts and Production

#Commerce, Clerical, and Administration

#Folk Mystic

#Special and Foreign

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#Relationship with Core Skills

#Separation of Similar Domains

#Holding Both Systems Simultaneously

The same character can hold core skills and Livelihood simultaneously:

• gaijin Minako: core Medicine Trained (2 pts) + Livelihood:Nanban Medicines (Craftsman) — proficient in both
• shinobi Komachi: core Infiltration Licensed (3 pts) + Livelihood:Weaving (Proficient) — her mother's legacy
• PC artisan: core Disable Trained + Livelihood:Blacksmithing (Novice) — learning the family trade

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#GM Operations Guide

#Moments to Use Livelihood

1. Domain management check: this week's rice harvest yield → Livelihood:Farming check
2. Specialty item production: PC requests the forge → Yukichi's Livelihood:Blacksmithing check (Craftsman)
3. Cultural understanding: conversation with an Outsider NPC → Livelihood:Language check
4. Domain economy: trade routes, pricing, Morale → Livelihood:Commerce check (Kyube)
5. Folk treatment: treating an injured resident → Livelihood:Folk Medicine check (when physician Minako is unavailable)

#Moments Not to Use Livelihood

• Battlefield checks: all checks during combat — yoma attack evasion, counterattack, etc. — use core skills
• Emergency medicine: critical injury first aid uses core Medicine (Livelihood:Folk Medicine is not permitted; however, a Target Number +5 penalty substitute may be allowed)
• Heroic abilities: Infiltration, stealth, tracking, Breakthrough, and other heroic narrative checks are the exclusive domain of core skills

#Player Privileges

When a PC is created at 1st rank, they may take 1 Livelihood at Novice (1 pt) — this is a special benefit of the "domain resident background" (core skill 5 pts base + Livelihood 1 pt = balance with the domain Outsider/Drifter background).

PC Livelihood advancement Speed: the typical path is 1st-rank creation Novice → Proficient by campaign midpoint (chapters 2–3) → Craftsman by campaign late stage (chapters 4–5). Master Artisan is only permitted as a narrative gift of the ending conditions.

#Craftsman and Master Artisan NPC Placement

Craftsmen in the domain are limited to 1 per Livelihood. This constraint creates the rarity of Craftsmen:

• Yukichi — Livelihood:Blacksmithing (Craftsman, +2)
• Nokami Gaichi — Livelihood:Fishing (Craftsman, +2)
• Otonashi — Livelihood:Farming (Craftsman, +2)
• Kyube — Livelihood:Commerce (Craftsman, +2)
• Sayo — Livelihood:Miko (Craftsman, heterodox, +2)
• Godai — Livelihood:Gunsmithing (Craftsman, +2)
• Minako — Livelihood:Nanban Medicines (Craftsman, +2)

Master Artisans are absent from this domain. Yet they are mentioned:

• "In Edo there was the master's master of Yukichi's. A Master Artisan. One of his swords sleeps in the lord's chest."
• "There is said to be a pottery Master Artisan in Joseon. Kyube went to see once."
• GM discretion — relics and apprentices of Master Artisans may appear in Side Quests outside the domain

#Exception — PC Reaching Master Artisan at Campaign's End

If one of the PCs has pursued a Livelihood deeply, Master Artisan status may be granted in Ending Branch C (Settlement) or the epilogue. This carries narrative meaning as "the campaign's gift."

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#Sheet Notation Examples

#NPC Stat Block Example — Craftsman

Yukichi (non-combat, domain's finest blacksmith)
 Courage -1 / Finesse +2 / Physique +2 / Wisdom +2 / Presence +0 / Fate +0
 Energy 12 (10 + Finesse 2)
 Wounds 4 (3 + Physique 2 - old age)
 Defense 10 (clothing)
 Three Ways and Six Hearts: 眞 (Truth — devotion to blacksmithing)

Special Ability: [General, aptitude] Craftsman's Eye — weapon and armor identification check +2
Livelihood: Livelihood:Blacksmithing (Craftsman, +2) · Livelihood:Woodworking (Proficient, +1)
Core skills: Perception Novice (1 pt), Fighting Spirit Novice (1 pt)

#PC Template Example — Novice

artisan (工人) background 1st-rank PC
Core skills 5 pts automatic:
 - Disable Trained (2 pts)
 - Swordsmanship Novice (1 pt)
 - Perception Novice (1 pt)
 - Military Science Novice (1 pt)
Livelihood 1 pt special (domain resident bonus):
 - Livelihood:Blacksmithing (Novice, +0) — currently learning from father Yukichi

#NPC Stat Block Example — Master Artisan (Legendary, Past)

"Sword Artisan Nagatoki" — Legend (past existence, current whereabouts unknown)
 — The sword in the domain's study chest is his work
 — Yukichi's words: "I could not imitate it even if I lived another lifetime"

Livelihood: Livelihood:Blacksmithing (Master Artisan, +3)
 — Rumored to have a few other works in Edo and Kyoto
 — Trained 3 apprentices; the apprentice of the apprentice of one of them is Yukichi

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#Q&A (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. Can a Livelihood be given to a core standard class? → Yes. Example: a samurai may hold "Livelihood:Brewing" passed down through the family. However, the Livelihood must connect to the family's or individual's narrative background.

Q2. Can Livelihood investments overlap? → Yes. Both Blacksmithing and Woodworking may be brought to Proficient. However, multiple stages in the same Livelihood simultaneously are not possible (a Craftsman is a Craftsman; double investment like "Proficient+Craftsman" has no meaning).

Q3. Can Master Artisan be reached during the campaign? → Very rarely. Campaign late stage + narrative foundation + GM approval must all align simultaneously. Typically, reaching Craftsman is the campaign's narrative goal; Master Artisan is the ending gift.

Q4. What is the practical difference between Craftsman and Master Artisan? → Check bonus +2 vs +3 (numerical difference). Narratively: locality — a Craftsman is "the best in this domain," a Master Artisan is "a legend at the national level." The play feel is whether "people from other domains come on a Side Quest to seek them out."

Q5. Can a Livelihood be placed in a special ability slot? → No. Livelihood is purchased with skill points only. Special ability slots are used for class/background/general abilities per core rules.

Q6. What happens to a Livelihood if this domain is left? → It is retained. Check bonuses remain unchanged. However, some Livelihoods (Livelihood:Fishing, etc.) carry geographic constraints (check not possible in places without the sea). The social authority of a Craftsman requires re-establishment when domain affiliation changes (treated as an outside Craftsman in the new domain).

Q7. After the campaign ends and a PC undergoes transformation or settles, what happens to their Livelihood? → Retained. In the Settlement Ending, it is recommended that the Livelihood becomes the foundation of the new Spirit Realm domain. Master Artisan status reached in the Settlement Ending is most natural.

Q8. Why take Novice when its bonus is +0? → The unskilled penalty of -2 is waived. Per the core unskilled rules, a skill without even Novice applies a -2 check penalty. Novice removes that penalty. It also secures a narrative position of learning under a master.

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#Connected New Rules

This rule is registered as item 11 of the Rule Delta.

• Barrier System (ex1-99-05-livelihood-skills.md) — domain management
• Core Economy (ex1-99-05-livelihood-skills.md) — domain management
• Morale and Fear (ex1-99-05-livelihood-skills.md) — resident condition
• Upgrades — requires Craftsman
• Resident NPCs — Livelihood holders
• 1st-Rank PC Templates — Livelihood Novice 1 pt option

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"More people have died tilling the earth than have died holding a sword. Not to record the craft of Commoners is not to record the way they died." — Hoshino Gensho, a line from the domain record.