#Dual Build Patterns and PC Conversion Guide
Contents
Scene Tool. The procedure below is a way to read the
co-04-02 §Dual Buildcontract as examples for NPCs and PC conversion. It does not create new combination rules, new Renown Titles, or new borrowing rights. The §Class and Dual Build sections and §PC Conversion sections of fc11 02-series cards follow this pattern.
#Scent — Two Roads in One Person
One who is a samurai and reads books. One whose mouth speaks both the sutras of a Pure Land monk and the songs of an entertainer. One who runs like wind and vanishes like shadow.
A dual build is not "double the numbers." It is character that appears only at the border of two roads. A person with two classes reaches the peak of neither — instead, they have a synergy that neither side has alone. So when making a dual build person, the question is not "how strong are they," but "why does this person walk two roads?"
This document shows the normal choice order that answers that question. And because that order is visible, fc11's dual build NPCs can be read directly as PC build examples.
#Law 1 — Dual Build Rule Summary (Canon Reference)
The original text is co-04-02. Here, only the 5 core clauses are compressed and reposted — this document does not set new values or expand the borrowing range.
- Timing — declare "Secondary Class: ○○" at an odd dan of Dan 3 or higher. Dan 1 and 2 impossible. Cannot change afterward.
- Cap — primary + secondary total 10 dan (example: primary Dan 7 / secondary Dan 3).
- Prerequisite — must satisfy the secondary class's prerequisite attributes and skills (
co-04-02secondary class prerequisite table). - Borrowing Range — only Dan 1, 3, and 5 class talents of the secondary class, learned by replacing 1 odd-dan general talent slot. Dan 7+ advanced talents, secondary-class Dan 1 automatic talents, secondary-class Renown Titles, and free Core Zone entry (primary-class entry rule has priority) are impossible.
- Renown Title — secondary-class Renown Title impossible. Instead, upon reaching Dan 10, gain 1 dual-build-exclusive Renown Title (primary+secondary combination's unique title + 1 capstone talent; not a numerical bonus).
Adaptation ↔ dual build is exclusive. The 3 outsider classes (modern person, heroic spirit, celestial) use Adaptation, so they cannot make dual builds (
co-04-02 §Adaptation). A "gaijin" is not an outsider, so a gaijin can make a dual build — do not confuse them. An autonomous automaton cannot be a PC secondary class.
#Law 2 — Representative Combination Catalog
The 12 combinations below are the entire co-04-02 dual-build-exclusive Renown Title table. In the Renown Title table, the primary class → secondary class direction has meaning (example: Fuma is primary=ronin / secondary=shinobi). If you arbitrarily reverse primary and secondary, the Renown Title disappears. fc11 chooses combinations suited to each dan from within this table by dan, then implements them as actual NPCs.
| Primary Class | Secondary Class | Exclusive Renown Title (Dan 10) | This Combination's Strength — Why These Two Roads? | Core of the Choice Order to Show |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| samurai | scholar | Confucian General (儒將) | blade and book as one — a Front Zone warrior commands squads | Courage as axis with Wisdom reinforcement, timing of military studies, checking posture becoming squad-level |
| samurai | esoteric monk | Nio (仁王) | a Buddhist guardian took up the sword — anti-yoma Front Zone | shared Courage/Physique, timing of Exorcism Novice, Core Zone entry only when primary=esoteric monk |
| ronin | shinobi | Fuma (風魔) | wind and shadow as one — two roads of mobility and assassination | shared Finesse axis, meeting Ninjutsu Novice, ambush synergy |
| esoteric monk | arahitogami | Dharma Body (法身) | living kami-buddha — exorcism inside sacred ground | Physique axis with Presence/Wisdom faith, faith-related background premise |
| onmyoji | scholar | Astronomical Officer (天文官) | one who reads the heavens — Rear Zone spellcasting + tactical staff officer | efficiency and trap of sharing Wisdom as the single core attribute |
| Pure Land monk | entertainer | Dharma Music (法樂) | Amida's song — fusion of recovery and Cohesion support | shared Presence axis, resource split between sutra and song |
| gaijin | artisan | Gunsmith (銃匠) | they make both gun and bullet directly — self-sufficient matchlocks | Finesse/Courage plus Physique/Wisdom crafting, Disable acquisition, matchlock reloading |
| merchant | shinobi | Black Merchant (黑商) | the underworld of money and information — bribery + espionage | Presence axis with Finesse infiltration, split between negotiation and ninjutsu |
| scholar | feng shui master | Geomantic Strategist (地略家) | one who makes the battlefield — terrain-control staff officer | shared single Wisdom, linking Barriers and military studies |
| wildlander | hanyo | Great Kamuy (大神威) | human who became kamuy — transformation grappling | Physique/Courage plus Fate bloodline, yoma-bloodline background premise |
| arahitogami | onmyoji | Divine Power (神通) | divine buff + shikigami operation link | Presence/Wisdom faith premise, faith and shikigami as one economy |
| feng shui master | esoteric monk | Ley-Line Master (靈脈師) | ley-line manipulation + Barrier link | Wisdom/Physique, link between Barrier and exorcism (Holy Fire) |
Combinations not in the table have no Renown Title. If the person you want to make is a combination such as
arahitogami+entertainer, either (a) move it to the canonicalPure Land monk+entertainer=Dharma Music, or (b) use the consultation-design clause in the "GM Note" ofco-04-02and give it a GM-made Renown Title — the principle is "weaker than the peak of either class, but with a unique synergy neither has." When an fc11 card uses an out-of-table combination, state in §Source that it is a "GM-consulted Renown Title."
#Law 3 — Combination Type Classification (A Frame for Reading Choice Order)
Representative combinations are divided into 3 types by choice motive. This classification is a convenience classification not found in the canon (not a new rule). It is an entryway for a PC reader to find their build by asking "which type is my concept?" Role-group notation quotes the role groups of the co-04-07-00 Class Index as written.
#Same Role-Group Deepening Type
Shares the same role group and attribute axis (example: ronin + shinobi — both mobility and assassination, Finesse axis). The prerequisites are easy to meet, but there is a risk that the non-combat range narrows → this type of card must include non-combat use (at least one of information, infiltration, or negotiation).
#Adjacent Attribute Reinforcement Type
Shares a single core attribute (example: onmyoji + scholar — both on the Wisdom axis). It shows both the efficiency of investing in one attribute and that efficiency's trap → this type of card must include one line of weakness (what collapses if Wisdom is neutralized).
#Resource Linkage Type
The resources of the two classes reinforce each other (example: arahitogami + onmyoji, Pure Land monk + entertainer — mutual reinforcement of faith and Cohesion resources). The card shows how two resources are tied into one economy — burning faith to keep shikigami alive, and sutras supporting the Cohesion of song.
#Law 4 — PC Conversion Procedure (NPC Card → PC Build Guide)
The §PC Conversion section of an fc11 02-series card follows the 4 steps below. This is the order followed by a reader who wants to use the NPC card directly as a PC.
- Rewind to Dan 1 creation. Reverse-calculate the card's finished sheet into the
co-04-007-step Dan 1 state (class, attribute allocation, background, starting skills, Dan 1 talents, equipment). For a dual build person, detach the secondary class and start from primary-class Dan 1. - Mark the dual build declaration timing. Write in one line at which dan (among Dan 3, 5, 7, and 9) the card declared the secondary class, which general talent slot at that dan was replaced with a secondary-class talent, and when the prerequisite attributes and skills were met.
- Branch into PC choices. Present three branches — use this card as written / change the secondary class to another / give up the dual build and use a single class. If a single class is chosen, write 1 or 2 general talent candidates for filling the empty slot.
- Preview the Dan 10 Renown Title. Write the dual-build-exclusive Renown Title gained by taking this combination to Dan 10 only as a title (no numericalization), and place 1 line of branching up to that point.
Why does a Dan 5 card have a Dan 3 talent? Because of the lower-dan talent borrowing rule in
co-04-02— an advancement slot can choose a lower-dan talent from the same class. The conversion procedure cites this so the PC reader can rebuild the card's talent composition from Dan 1.
#Law 5 — Common Errors
These are items that dual build cards often violate. They correspond 1:1 with NPC Creation and Dan Advancement Check Procedure §Law 3.
Errors to avoid are primary + secondary total over 10 dan, borrowing secondary-class Dan 7+ advanced talents, granting the secondary-class Dan 1 automatic talent, granting the secondary-class Renown Title, declaring a Dan 1 or 2 dual build, mismatch between the primary/secondary direction and the canonical Renown Title table, marking ranged shooting as "firearms skill" (→ Archery), turning a Renown Title into a "+N" number, and 0 non-combat uses.
If even one item is checked, look again at
NPC Creation and Dan Advancement Check Procedure§Law 3 (Dual Build). A dual build widens the range of ability, but makes the end shallower — a card where that shallowness is not visible is an optimized card.
#Scent — One Sentence
"One who walks two roads reaches the end of neither — but the one point where the two roads meet belongs only to that person."