#Stronger Yoma Hub
Contents
A strong yoma is not a yoma with high Wounds. It is a yoma that leaves behind a name and a rule even after the incident ends.
#Opening Vignette - The One Who Bound the Mountain Alive
That mountain had three entrances.
At the first entrance a sake jar was set, at the second a broken sword was driven in, and at the third children's shoes were lined up. People entered by none of the three paths. They knew that every path led to the same place.
It was said one yoma lived atop the mountain. But the old woman of the village at the mountain's foot shook her head.
"It is not one. The mountain is that yoma's body, the paths are that yoma's fingers, and our stories are that yoma's breath."
A young warrior asked.
"Then what must I cut?"
The old woman pointed in turn at the three entrances.
"Give up the sake, bury the sword, and return the children's names. If the mountain still moves after that, then cut it."
#Scent - A Mastermind Yoma Has Laws
A yoma mastermind need not move by written orders and rank like a human villain. Instead it has laws. It eats a certain name, guards a certain mountain path, harms only those who break a certain taboo, and grows strong when a certain rumor spreads.
The same is true of a yoma organization. It need not be furnished with department heads, accounting, and documents like a human organization. If there is a shared desire, a rule of the night, a territory, and food, it becomes an organization.
#Law - 6 Strengthening Backgrounds
Attach one to an existing yoma to make it strong. Attach two or more, and treat it as a long-campaign boss-grade.
| Strengthening Background | Effect | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Named Yoma | In a region where its name has spread, Domination +1. | Reveal the origin of its first name. |
| Master of a Territory | In a certain place, Defense +1 and first check +1. | Restore or break the territory's taboo. |
| One Bound to a Gate | After Wounds 0, can retreat to the Spirit Realm. | Seal or stabilize the Gate of the Spirit Realm. |
| Holds Kin | Commands 1-2 Minion/Veteran yoma squads. | Cut off the kin's food or fear. |
| Kaidan Proliferation | The more the rumor spreads, the more it reappears in the next incident. | Correct the false rumor and fix its true name. |
| Human Contract | A human faction or cult protects it. | Reveal the contract's wording, offering, and price. |
#Operation - Continuing to the Next Documents
This document provides the common background for making an existing yoma one step stronger. When designing masterminds and organizations in detail, move on to the next documents.
| Purpose | Document |
|---|---|
| Make a Lord-grade or long-campaign adversary | fc08-06-02-yoma-masterminds.md |
| Make an original yoma organization | fc08-06-03-yoma-organizations.md |
#6 Questions for a Yoma Mastermind
| Question | What It Must Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it eat | The aspect of harm and the long-term threat. |
| Where is it complete | A stronghold such as a battlefield, mountain, well, castle, book, or station. |
| By what name does it grow strong | The core of rumor and the information war. |
| What does it promise humans | Temptation, a bargain, the reason for a cult. |
| What way is there to stop it other than killing | A resolution-type ending. |
| What remains after it is defeated | A hook for the follow-up scenario. |
#Summary of Yoma Mastermind Types
| Type | Central Desire | Recommended Yoma |
|---|---|---|
| Master of the Mountain | Restore the human order it has invaded. | tengu, yamauba, corrupted kodama |
| Predator of the Battlefield | Wishes the war to continue. | oni, onryo, gaki |
| Lord of Kaidan | Grows stronger the more its name spreads. | yoko, onryo, modern yoma |
| Sealed Ancient Yoma | Waits for the gate to open. | Konryu fragment, Arahabaki-type, Lord-grade variant |
| Yoma That Loved a Human | Protection turns into possession. | yoko, bakeneko, jorogumo |
| Yoma That Would Become a God | Turns fear into faith. | Tatarigami-type, ancient-god-grade yoma |
#The Gate of the Spirit Realm
A yoma organization's gates are usually not just one. The head is bound to a great gate, and the lesser yoma each tend a small gate. A battlefield grave, a mountain path, a storehouse, a well, and a posting can all become the terminal gates of the same organization.
When making an organization strong, build a gate network.
| Scale | Gate Composition |
|---|---|
| Small | 1 stronghold gate + 1 incident place |
| Medium | 1 stronghold gate + 3 lesser gates |
| Large | 1 head gate + a gate per officer + rumor passages |
#Faction Response
| Faction | Yoma Mastermind | Yoma Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Kagura Domain | Prioritizes subjugating the head and occupying the stronghold. | Sees the organization as a military force and crushes it. |
| Hiei League | Looks for the sealing condition and the resolution of karma. | Closes the rites of the lesser gates one by one. |
| Enryokan | Asks the motive and the possibility of coexistence. | Records the organization's rules to seek the possibility of a pact. |
| Biu Mountain | Bargains or sows discord. | Easily becomes entangled with a rumor-network-type organization. |
| Sakai Guild | Risks commodifying the organization's food. | Through information and logistics, takes part in the organization's spread. |
| Kunitomo Guild | Takes an interest in capture and weaponization. | Tries to make the lesser yoma into experimental material. |
#Closing Line
Defeating a mastermind yoma is easy. It is the work of closing the name and the gate it fed and lived on that is hard.