#Yoma Incident Classification and Handling
Contents
Scene Tool. Provides shogunate-style incident classification as a GM tool.
#Scent — The Name That Sticks to an Incident
The same scream changes depending on where it is written down. A disturbance in an alley is a public-order incident; in a domain mansion it is a secret; once it enters the shogunate's archive it is something that never happened. In Edo, incident grade is not the size of the truth — it is the size of the hand covering it.
#Law — Using the Grades
- Incident grades are not a new rule, reward table, or measure of yoma strength. They are language for the GM to set authority to intervene, concealment intensity, and fallout.
- A single incident can begin at a lower grade and be reclassified to a higher one as investigation proceeds.
- As the grade rises, raise record manipulation, witness handling, reporting lines, sealing authority, and faction involvement more than the enemy's Wounds.
- Signs of escalation are different recorded names for the same incident, an archive more dangerous than the scene, or an enemy trying to erase the PCs from the record rather than kill them.
- Finally decide who can handle the incident and who must not.
#Incident Grades
| Grade | Surface Label | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| A | Rumor | Low-level urban yoma |
| B | Public-Order Incident | Human adversaries or yoma artifacts |
| C | Domain Secret | Possession, Spirit Gates, political concealment |
| D | Prohibited Incident | Core operations of the Hundred-Tale Society or conspiratorial factions |
#Handling Procedure
| Step | Question |
|---|---|
| Scene Check | Who are the victims, and who is the apparent culprit? |
| Name Check | Is the yoma's name already circulating as rumor? |
| Responsibility Check | Which of the shogunate, domain, temple, or merchant company wants to conceal it? |
| Faction Check | Has the Hundred-Tale Society or a human conspiratorial faction intervened? |
| Resolution Decision | Which option is chosen: extermination, sealing, negotiation, exposure, or record erasure? |
#Running Each Grade
#Grade A — Rumor
Low-level yoma, misidentified sightings, Hundred-Tale Society scouting, and small items on the black market are the cause. Investigation and rumor-gathering take center stage over combat.
#Grade B — Public-Order Incident
People have died or vanished. Doshin and okappiki move in; PCs enter the scene officially or unofficially. Human-type adversaries and low-level yoma tend to appear together.
#Grade C — Domain Secret
A daimyo, karo, dojo, temple or shrine, or merchant company is involved. Making the incident public would destroy one organization's standing. Tracing responsibility and handling the records becomes harder than exorcising the yoma.
#Grade D — Prohibited Incident
An incident the shogunate leaves no official record of. At least one of the Hundred-Tale Society, Black-Tag Office, Hidden Hannya, or Black-Tag Gang moves directly. Lord-grade adversaries and inter-faction negotiations may appear.
"Whoever decides the name of an incident intends to decide its end as well."