#7 New Ninjutsu Schools
Contents
To the core's 2 schools (Iga, Koga), this expansion adds 7 new schools. The core Licensed Ambush (check +2, Surprise Attack bonus) / secret art Poison Vein (check +3, using poison/hidden weapons) is replaced by each school with its own unique maneuver. Shadows do not discriminate by culture — emphasis on the foreign style.
§ Check Procedure: Infiltration · concealment · Disguise · feint = an application of the core 04-01 Infiltration (2d10+Finesse vs enemy Perception) · Disguise (2d10+Presence vs Perception). concealment = synonym of Infiltration, feint = synonym of Disguise — no newly created check in this expansion. Mapping: 00-05 §14.
#§ Scent — The Hundred Names of the Shadow
Night is everywhere. So those who live in the night are everywhere too. The shinobi of Japan, the Geomgye and Walja of Joseon, the Jinyiwei of Ming, the Hashashin of Arabia, the Sicarii of Judea. All served different gods in different eras, yet they breathed the same darkness. This document records 7 kinds.
#§ Law — 7 Schools
#14-01. Negoro-ryu (根来流) — Famous school · Japan · monk-soldier lineage
Monk-soldier Ninjutsu under the Negoro temple of Kii (紀伊). At the dawn of the matchlock's introduction, Japan's largest firearms unit. A mix of warriors and monks bound by religious vows.
- Add-on: firearms aptitude — Archery check +1 for matchlock shots (only with Ninjutsu held).
- Restriction: Faith violation — refuses commissions that go against the temple's teachings (check -2).
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [Kata] Monk-Soldier Set: Energy 2. 1 round. firearm or dagger Surprise Attack. attack +2 · Critical Expansion. |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] Talisman Shuriken: Energy 3. 1 round. throw a talisman shuriken. attack +3 · additional +2 against yoma. |
- Approach: Negoro temple initiation, or monk-soldier-lineage origin.
- Play type: firearm · monk-soldier Ninjutsu
#14-02. Fuma-ryu (風魔流) — Famous school · Japan · pirate lineage
The Fuma clan, retainers of the Hojo (北条). Based in a mountain stronghold. The true name is the "Wind God (風神) faction." Many came from bandit, mountain-bandit, and pirate origins. Famous for the legend of the giant chieftain Fuma Kotaro.
- Add-on: bandit origin — concealment check +2 in mountain/maritime terrain.
- Restriction: mocked by regular warrior houses — Negotiation with warrior NPCs -1.
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [stance] Wind God Stance: Energy 1. during the stance, concealment check +3 in mountain/maritime terrain. |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] Night-Raid Wind God Set: Energy 4. 1 round. only triggers at night / while concealed. attack +5 · instant-death roll. |
- Approach: descendant of the Fuma clan, or instruction in Hojo-retainer Ninjutsu. bandit/pirate origin recommended.
- Play type: night-raid Ninjutsu, bandit/pirate chieftain
#14-03. Joseon Geomgye (朝鮮 劍契) — foreign style · Joseon
- Source: Geomgye (劍契) — a late-Joseon swordsmanship society · a society of Walja (曰者) ruffians (some traditions trace it back before King Jeongjo)
- Era: late Joseon (established in the 17th~18th century); in the late 16th century, similar ruffian groups existed as precursors
- Cultural sphere: Joseon
Cultural origin: the urban Geomgye and Walja of late-Joseon Hanyang and Pyongyang. Of commoner/lowborn origin, not a warrior house. Specialists in nighttime prowling, called the "night guests." Loyalty first, payment second.
- Add-on: loyalty bonus — check +1 when protecting the weak or one's compatriots.
- Restriction: refusal of paid transactions — check -1 if a commission is taken for pure payment alone (a loyalty pretext is needed).
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [Kata] Night-Guest Set: Energy 2. 1 round. night/urban only. attack +2 · escape free. |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] Righteous Strike (義氣一擊): Energy 3. 1 round. attack +5 on a protect-the-weak pretext. -3 on a payment pretext. |
- Approach: Joseon-origin background (02-03), foreign Adaptation (Joseon), or instruction in Hanyang/Pyongyang Geomgye/Walja.
- Play type: loyalty Geomgye, urban prowling
#14-04. Sicarii (Sicarii) — foreign style · Judea
Cultural origin: a 1st-century Jewish anti-Roman society. The sica — carrying a dagger hidden in the clothing. Specialists in assassination within a crowd. Political/religious motives.
- Add-on: crowd Infiltration — feint/concealment check +3 when acting within a crowd (10 or more people).
- Restriction: desolate terrain -1 (a crowd-limited esoterica).
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [stance] Shadow in the Crowd: Energy 1. during the stance, when positioned within a crowd, feint +3 · Surprise Attack +2. |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] One Blade of the Sica: Energy 4. 1 round. only triggers within a crowd. attack +5 · after triggering, vanish instantly into the crowd (Perception -3). |
- Approach: Jewish/Middle Eastern-origin background, foreign Adaptation (Arab/Middle Eastern), or instruction in a political society. religious motive recommended.
- Play type: crowd assassination, political society
- Related: 14-05 Hashashin (thought affinity — both are religious societies)
#14-05. Hashashin (Hashashin) — foreign style · Arab
- Source: the Nizari Ismailis (the society of Hassan-i Sabbah) — the loyalty band of the Old Man of the Mountain
- Era: 11th~13th century (Alamut founded in 1090, Alamut fell in 1256)
- Cultural sphere: Persia/Syria
Cultural origin: the Nizari Ismailis of the Persian Alamut mountain fortress in the 11th~13th century. Specialists in political assassination. The legend of the hallucinogenic use of hashish. A loyalty band that follows the command of the Old Man of the Mountain.
- Add-on: loyal target — when 1 target is designated in advance, attack +3 against that target (1 combat only).
- Restriction: after designating a target, attacking a different target gives check -2 (split focus).
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [aptitude] Teaching of the Mountain: 1 target designation, 1 time per session. attack +3 against the target (limited to that combat). |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] Devotion of the Dagger (Dispersed Casting): Dispersed Casting (preparation 3 + activation 2 = effectively 5 Energy + user -3). round distribution is 2 rounds. triggers only on the designated target. attack +6 · instant-death roll. if the user's maximum Energy is under 8, after activation exhaustion for 1 round. |
- Approach: Arab/Middle Eastern-origin background, foreign Adaptation, or instruction in the Alamut society. religious loyalty required.
- Play type: political assassination, target devotion
- Related: 14-04 Sicarii (brothers of religious societies)
#14-06. Jinyiwei (錦衣衛) — Secret Transmission · Ming
Cultural origin: an espionage/assassination organ directly under the Ming court. The emperor's personal guard. The gold silk garment (錦衣) is the mark — but disguised during espionage missions. Collection of political intelligence · execution of traitors.
- Add-on: directly under the court — intelligence-network/Negotiation check +2 when acting against the court or officials.
- Restriction: a duty of loyalty to the Ming court — anti-court actions give check -3, with risk of Licensed revocation.
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [aptitude] Gaze of the Silk Robe: +3 to intelligence-gathering checks. court NPC rapport check +2. |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] The Emperor's Blade: Energy 4. 1 round. when holding a court order document, attack +4 · legal legitimacy (exemption from post-facto punishment). |
- Approach: appointment to the Ming court, or formal commission as Jinyiwei. Ming-origin background recommended.
- Play type: court spy, political espionage
- Related: 11-08 Qi Jiguang Spearmanship (affinity with Ming military-officer thought)
#14-07. Personal Agent (個人密偵) — Self-Taught Style · origin irrelevant
A Self-Taught Style Ninjutsu in which one person tracks a single target for their entire life, without house or society. There is no dojo and no Licensed, but there is a legend called "the shadow of one person."
- Add-on: one target — when 1 lifelong target is designated, attack +2 against that target (permanent).
- Restriction: attacking a different target gives check -1 (split focus).
| Stage | Core base | School alternate |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed | Ambush | [aptitude] Lifelong Shadow: designate 1 lifelong target. attack +2 against that target (permanent). tracking check +3. |
| Secret art | Poison Vein | [Kata] The End of One Person: Energy 5. 1 round. only triggers on the lifelong target. attack +6 · instant death on a Critical Hit. after triggering, the target cannot be changed. |
- Approach: Self-Taught Style — free. But designate 1 lifelong target in advance (campaign Session 0 consent).
- Play type: lifelong pursuit, the shadow of one person
#§ Design Perspective
- Type distribution of the 7 schools: Famous schools 2 (14-01·02) + Secret Transmission 1 (14-06) + Self-Taught Style 1 (14-07) + foreign style 3 (14-03·04·05). Emphasis on the foreign style + the Ming Jinyiwei is classified as a secret transmission (a formal roster but secret missions).
- The religiosity of the 3 foreign styles: 14-03 Joseon Geomgye (loyalty), 14-04 Sicarii (Jewish religion), 14-05 Hashashin (Islamic society). All make political/religious motives explicit — conveying the message that "Ninjutsu is not unique to Japan."
- Relationship with the core shinobi class: these schools all recommend the shinobi (04-03) class but it is not mandatory. Ordinary classes can also use them if they hold a Ninjutsu Licensed (complying with the core school principle).
- Differentiation from the 1st expansion's shinobi lineage: the 1st expansion is Spirit Realm shinobi. This expansion is present-world foreign/historical shinobi. Choose according to campaign tone.
- Coexistence with the core Iga/Koga: no modification to the core original. Only the range of choice is broadened.
"The names differ, but the darkness is the same. If the darkness differs, the name is in vain."