#School Matchup Reference Table

Contents

#§ Purpose

For PC vs NPC or PC vs PC duels, this aids the GM's ruling on inter-school matchups. For reference — the core rules take priority, and the matchup is only a ±1 bonus.

#§ Matchup Principles

Matchup bonus: ±1 (never ±2 or more)
When the matchup applies: limited to the first round of the duel
Duel with unrelated schools: no matchup. Core rules only.

#§ Swordsmanship School Matchup Table

Attacker \ Defender	Katori	Yagyu	Nito	Jigen	Tennen Rishin	Hokushin Itto	Jikishin Kage	Joseon Sebeop	Liechtenauer	Destreza
Katori	0	-1	0	+1	0	0	-1	0	-1	0
Yagyu	+1	0	-1	0	-1	0	0	0	0	-1
Nito	0	+1	0	-1	0	0	0	-1	0	0
Jigen	-1	0	+1	0	+1	0	-1	0	+1	0
Tennen Rishin	0	+1	0	-1	0	-1	+1	0	-1	-1
Hokushin Itto	0	0	0	0	+1	0	0	0	0	0
Jikishin Kage	+1	0	0	+1	-1	0	0	0	0	0
Joseon Sebeop	0	0	+1	0	0	0	0	0	-1	-1
Liechtenauer	+1	0	0	-1	+1	0	0	+1	0	-1
Destreza	0	+1	0	0	+1	0	0	+1	+1	0

(0 = no matchup, +1 = advantage, -1 = disadvantage)

Matchup thinking:

Stance-centered schools (Katori, Joseon Sebeop) vs single-strike schools (Jigen, Liechtenauer): the single-strike school has the advantage (the stance is broken)
Martial-art schools (Yagyu, Jikishin Kage): weak against killing schools, strong against the same martial art
Precise thrusting (Destreza): advantage over greatswords (Liechtenauer, Jigen) (Speed)

#§ Spearmanship / Unarmed Combat / Archery Matchups (Summary)

#Spearmanship

Attack	Hozoin	Takeda-ryu Spear	Pike	Maka Spear	Joseon Spear
Hozoin	0	0	-1	0	0
Takeda-ryu Spear	+1 (mounted)	0	0	0	0
Pike (group)	0	-1 (vs solo)	0	-1	-1
Maka Spear	0	0	+1	0	0
Joseon Spear	0	0	+1	0	0

#Unarmed Combat

Attack	Takenouchi	Shaolin Fist	Wudang Fist	Bajiquan	Aikido
Takenouchi	0	-1	-1	0	-1
Shaolin Fist	+1	0	-1 (soft)	+1	0
Wudang Fist (soft)	+1 (hard)	+1 (hard)	0	-1 (hard)	+1
Bajiquan (linear)	0	-1	+1	0	-1
Aikido (joint)	+1	0	-1	+1	0

(For Unarmed Combat, the hard / soft thinking is the core)

#Archery vs Swordsmanship

Distance	Archer Advantage	Swordsman Advantage
0 zones	-2	+2
1 zone	-1	+1
2 zones	+1	-1
3+ zones	+2	-2

(The archer creates distance, the swordsman closes distance)

#§ Use Cases

#Case 1: PC Jigen-ryu vs NPC Katori (see the 80-02 table)

Jigen-ryu → Katori: -1 (Jigen is weak against Katori's stance focus)
Apply -1 to the PC's first-round attack. Core check + bonus.

#Case 2: PC Destreza (thrust) vs NPC Liechtenauer (greatsword)

Destreza → Liechtenauer: +1 (Speed advantage)
Apply +1 to the PC's first-round attack.

#Case 3: Duel with Unrelated Schools

No matchup. Apply core rules only.

#§ GM Notes

The matchup is not the deciding factor in a duel. The core rules + PC abilities take priority.
Apply only on the first round. Continuous application creates campaign disparities.
PCs can learn the matchup — gathering information before the duel (the 50-tournament school-research check).

"Even the same sword becomes a different sword when it meets a different sword."