#Dan 1 — People Just Starting Out

Contents

Dan 1 Use Standard. Dan 1 is outside the dual build range (co-04-02 — declared at Dan 3 or higher). The five standard NPCs in this chapter are all single-class characters, and the sixth is a ex1 Commoner. When adjusting values and equipment, refer to the NPC Creation and Dan Advancement Check Procedure.

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#Scent — The First Hand Given Something

The hand first given a spear haft. The hand that first drew a talisman. The hand first entrusted with the accounts. The hand that first carried a net alone.

Dan 1 is not ability, but a starting point. The six people in this chapter are not strong — they are not yet worth one full person's share. But exactly because of that, they are the first faces a PC party meets when it has just set out, and a pool of bit parts and helpers that a GM can pull out immediately on an unprepared evening.

The six come from different classes, different lands, and different purposes. They were chosen so their roles do not overlap within a single chapter — you may put all six into the same night at once, each for a different use.

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#Law — Character Distribution in This Chapter

The six are assigned so class, region, purpose, and role do not overlap. To keep the chapter from becoming "five Front Zone NPCs," the five standard NPCs were drawn one each from five role groups (Front Zone / Defense, mobility / assassination, spellcasting / summoning, support / healing, social / economy). Their origins were chosen from five different entries among the ten regions of fc09 Imperial Gazetteer (place-name notation follows the standard in the regional cross-reference table).

The roles (helper, rival, informant, client, local figure), purposes, role groups, and regions of the five standard NPCs do not overlap. The Commoner slot (No. 6) is a separate axis (ex1-99-06), so it is fine for its local-figure role to overlap with No. 5. Four of the 6 basic classes (samurai, ronin, onmyoji, Pure Land monk) are laid down from Dan 1 to match new-player perspective, and one merchant is added as an expanded class. No. 5 is an atypical figure with almost no fighting ability; No. 6 is a non-combat Commoner.

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#1. Morikawa Gonroku (森川権六) — Dan 1 Samurai

The first spear he received had a haft longer than his hands.

The sixth son of the Morikawa family, local jizamurai along the Tokai road. His elder brothers inherit the fields, and the youngest receives one spear — and the road to his first campaign. He has never cut a person, and he himself knows his hands will shake when he sees first blood. Even so, hearing that one deed of merit could make him a formal retainer, he regrips the haft three times.

Morikawa Gonroku (森川権六) — Dan 1 samurai · helper(first-campaign spearman)
Wounds 4, Defense 12(light domaru), Energy 11. Courage+2, Finesse+1, Physique+1, Wisdom 0, Presence 0, Fate-1.
Background: farmer(jizamurai) | Path/Heart: Way of Rites / Loyalty (Inscribed Heart)
Skills: Swordsmanship Trained · Fighting Spirit/Military Science/Intimidation Novice (automatic) / Survival/Hardiness Novice (background) / Geography/Perception Novice (free)
Talents: Immovable Formation [stance] (automatic) / Child of the Earth [aptitude] (background) / Tough [aptitude] (general)
Equipment: nagayari(long spear) · wakizashi · domaru(light armor) · jingasa · borrowed family-crest banner cloth. 3 gold.
Source: co canon (basic class, co equipment) — no source badge needed.

• Operation. Front Zone anchor — when he stands in a zone with Immovable Formation (Energy 2), allied Domination +4 (Front Zone), enemy Breakthrough Target Number +2. Non-combat: road scouting (Perception), route guidance (Geography). Weakness: real combat 0, shaken by first killing. No masterwork or Divine Treasure (below Dan 1 lower bound).
• Backstory. The youngest son of a jizamurai family. Gonroku (権六) is only a common name meaning sixth son; a grand name is not yet his.
• Relationship Hook. He wants recognition from the veterans of the unit. He joins the PC unit as a spearman and becomes the face that shares the first battle.
• PC Conversion. To start as a Dan 1 samurai — first three choices: class samurai / Courage +2 / background farmer(jizamurai). A Front Zone type who turns on Immovable Formation and holds one zone. At Dan 3, the branch opens toward Declare Duel.

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#2. Onodera Shinta (小野寺新太) — Dan 1 Ronin

What his teacher left behind was one worn sword and one notebook he had not finished reading.

A wandering swordsman who circles the borderlands of Echigo. One year ago, his teacher died of illness, leaving only a rusted sword and a sword notebook. A seventeen-year-old who eats by selling his blade — when he meets a swordsman his own age, he cannot bear losing and tries to cross blades. That rashness will someday either kill him, or make him human.

Onodera Shinta (小野寺新太) — Dan 1 ronin · rival(wandering swordsman)
Wounds 4, Defense 12(worn domaru), Energy 12. Courage+1, Finesse+2, Physique+1, Wisdom 0, Presence 0, Fate-1.
Background: wanderer | Path/Heart: Way of Mystery / Truth (Inscribed Heart)
Skills: Swordsmanship Trained · Footwork/Survival/Speed Novice (automatic) / Infiltration/Fortune Novice (background) / Perception/Lightness Novice (free)
Talents: Blade of the Wind [aptitude] (automatic) / Wanderer's Intuition [aptitude] (background) / Swift [aptitude] (general)
Equipment: uchigatana(teacher's keepsake, worn sword) · kodachi · worn domaru · reed hat and straw sandals · teacher's sword notebook. 2 gold.
Source: co canon — no source badge needed.

• Operation. Mobile skirmisher — with Blade of the Wind, he enters and leaves zones with high enemy Domination and the Core Zone at Energy -1 (free Core Zone entry is the Dan 1 automatic feature of ronin as the primary class). Wanderer's Intuition gives initiative +1 and ambush immunity. Non-combat: campcraft and tracking (Survival), infiltration. Weakness: no meals, rash pride.
• Backstory. A swordsman without a teacher. He has not opened the last page of the sword notebook yet — because his teacher told him, "Read it when you are worth one person's share."
• Relationship Hook. When he meets a PC swordsman, he tries to cross blades (rival). Once he acknowledges them, he offers to travel with them.
• PC Conversion. First three choices: class ronin / Finesse +2 / background wanderer. Core Zone freedom is automatic at Dan 1, so do not write it as forced Breakthrough. At Dan 3, the branch opens toward two swords (Ronin's Two Swords).

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#3. Sadaichi (貞市) — Dan 1 Onmyoji

He still does not know how to read the stars, but he already reads people's mouths.

A seventeen-year-old who learned calendars and divination by watching from the side while doing odd jobs at the gate of a great onmyoji house on the edge of Kyoto. He has no surname and is called only "Sadaichi." He cannot command even one shikigami properly, but he sells fortune and misfortune on the street while gathering what people fear — and that is his real talent.

Sadaichi (貞市) — Dan 1 onmyoji · informant(street fortune-teller apprentice)
Wounds 3, Defense 10(plain clothes), Energy 11. Wisdom+2, Finesse+1, Fate+1, Physique 0, Presence 0, Courage-1.
Background: wanderer | Path/Heart: Way of Mystery / Truth (Inscribed Heart)
Skills: Sorcery Trained · Exorcism/Barrier/Prophecy Novice (automatic) / Survival/Fortune Novice (background) / Perception/Negotiation Novice (free)
Talents: Shikigami Service [Kata] (automatic) / Wanderer's Intuition [aptitude] (background) / Yoma Knowledge [aptitude] (general)
Equipment: tanto(hidden self-defense) · plain clothes · bundle of shikigami talismans · old divination tube and calendar · talisman brush. 1 gold.
Source: co canon — no source badge needed.

• Operation. Summons 1 shikigami (Wounds 1, Defense 12, Domination +1) and uses it for scouting and decoys (summon limit equals Wisdom modifier; Dan 1 has at least 1 use). Core Zone entry is forced Breakthrough — he does not enter the Core Zone himself, sending only the shikigami. Non-combat: fortune-telling and rumors (Fortune/Perception), auspicious-direction consultation. Weakness: his own combat power (Defense 10), clumsy shikigami operation.
• Backstory. He has never entered the gate of the main house. He divines only from what he heard while sweeping in front of that gate.
• Relationship Hook. "That direction is ill-omened today" — he overlays rumors onto fortune and leaks information to the PCs (informant). His ambition to enter the main house is both weakness and hook.
• PC Conversion. First three choices: class onmyoji / Wisdom +2 / background wanderer. A Rear Zone type who commands shikigami. Only the shikigami enters the Core Zone (he uses forced Breakthrough if he goes himself). At Dan 3, branches open toward curses and shikigami enhancement.

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#4. Myonen (妙然) — Dan 1 Pure Land Monk

She walks behind the battlefield — song for the dead, bandages for the living.

A young nun who left the main temple and walks the pilgrimage roads of Shikoku. She follows behind battlefields, caring for the wounded and soothing the dead. She does not say what she is atoning for. She does not take up the blade herself, but squads in her zone do not collapse easily.

Myonen (妙然) — Dan 1 Pure Land monk · client(wandering nun)
Wounds 4, Defense 10(monk robes), Energy 10. Presence+2, Physique+1, Wisdom+1, Finesse 0, Courage 0, Fate-1.
Background: temple-born | Path/Heart: Way of Void / Compassion (Inscribed Heart)
Skills: Negotiation Trained · Bearing/Medicine/Fighting Spirit Novice (automatic) / Medicine→Trained・Exorcism Novice (background) / Incitement/Perception Novice (free)
Talents: Amida's Shield [aptitude] (automatic) / Power of Scripture [aptitude] (background) / Indomitable [aptitude] (general)
Equipment: naginata(also used as staff) · tanto · monk robes · prayer beads, incense, sutras · herb pouch and bandages. 1 gold.
Source: co canon — no source badge needed.

• Operation. Maintains squad Cohesion — allied squads in the same zone do not collapse even when Cohesion reaches 0 (Amida's Shield). Wounded first aid (Medicine Trained), requiem rites (Incitement), fear resistance before yoma (Power of Scripture). Core Zone entry is forced Breakthrough (only in emergencies). Non-combat: healing, mediation, pilgrimage-road knowledge. Weakness: almost no direct attack.
• Backstory. She kept only her dharma name and abandoned her secular name. When asked why she left the main temple, she only joins her palms.
• Relationship Hook. "Please take me to the next battlefield; please guard the wounded tent" — her requests are always for someone else (client). She silently follows the unit, but if her request is granted, she cares for the wounded in return. What lies behind her silence is a long-term hook.
• PC Conversion. First three choices: class Pure Land monk / Presence +2 / background temple-born. Cohesion buff and emergency healing type. At Dan 3, branches open toward emergency treatment and Shrine Maiden Dance.

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#5. Kisoya Tohachi (木曾屋藤八) — Dan 1 Merchant

Roads, prices, and who is going where — those are the goods Tohachi sells.

A porter and account assistant for a large Omi merchant house. Tohachi is the youngest errand boy of the house name "Kisoya." He has a known face at every Lake Biwa ferry and sells roads, prices, and rumors. He cannot use a sword, but when danger comes, he runs faster than anyone — and that too is a talent. His dream is to one day own his own shop.

Kisoya Tohachi (木曾屋藤八) — Dan 1 merchant · local figure(peddler's assistant, atypical)
Wounds 3, Defense 10(plain clothes), Energy 11. Presence+2, Wisdom+1, Finesse+1, Physique 0, Courage 0, Fate-1.
Background: merchant's child | Path/Heart: Way of Mystery / Truth (Inscribed Heart)
Skills: Negotiation Trained · Bribery/Deceit/Perception Novice (automatic) / Perception→Trained・Bribery→Trained (background) / Geography/Stratagem Novice (free)
Talents: Gold Solves All [Kata] (automatic) / Funding [aptitude] (background) / Lucky One [aptitude] (general)
Equipment: kaiken(hidden dagger) · plain clothes and travel pack · abacus, ledger, measuring box · Lake Biwa ferry pass. 8 gold (base 5 + Funding 3).
Source: co canon — no source badge needed.

• Operation. Non-combat informant — reads roads, prices, and traffic (Perception Trained, Geography, Negotiation). As a tactical move, throws 1 gold to give enemy Domination -2 (Gold Solves All, Energy 2). Core Zone entry is forced Breakthrough. Weakness: fighting ability (Defense 10, Wounds 3), runs when danger appears. Regionality: Omi peddler network and Lake Biwa water transport.
• Backstory. As the youngest in the shop, he handles accounts, loads, and errands. That is why he knows everything about the roads.
• Relationship Hook. A regular in the Omi peddler network with a known face at every Lake Biwa ferry — he offers supply and guidance as a bargain (local figure). His talent is selling roads, prices, and traffic. The 8 gold is the normal result of the Funding background, not excessive equipment — it is the only power he has.
• PC Conversion. First three choices: class merchant / Presence +2 / background merchant's child. Gold, information, and bribery type. At Dan 3, branches open toward mercenary hiring and bribes.

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#6. Onami of Setogawa (瀬戸川のお波) — Dan 1 Commoner · Livelihood:Fishing

Onami knows who borrows a boat at night.

The eldest daughter of the ferryman's house at Setogawa ferry, near the mouth of a river flowing into the Seto Inland Sea. After her father took ill, she carries the nets in his place. She reads the river, the weather, and people, and knows who crosses the river and who borrows a boat at night. She knows nothing of swords, but a ferry is a place where people pass in and out of the gate.

Onami of Setogawa (瀬戸川のお波) — Dan 1 Commoner · local figure(ferryman's daughter) [ex1-99-06]
Wounds 4, Defense 10(work clothes), Energy 12. Finesse+2, Physique+1, Wisdom+1, Courage 0, Presence 0, Fate-1.
Background: farmer | Path/Heart: Way of Mystery / Truth (Inscribed Heart)
Skills(Dan 1, 9 pts [free 5 + background 2 + free 2] = 9 pts): Perception Trained · Negotiation/Geography/Fortune Novice (free 5) / Survival·Hardiness Novice (background farmer) / Stratagem·Bribery Novice (free) · Livelihood:Fishing Novice [ex1-99-05] is separate
Talents: (no automatic talent — Commoner) Child of the Earth [aptitude] (background) / Sense Danger [aptitude] (general, within Commoner 10)
Equipment: small fishing boat, net, harpoon · kitchen knife · cotton work clothes · straw raincoat and reed hat. 1 gold.
Source: Commoner [ex1-99-06] · Livelihood:Fishing [ex1-99-05]. Without ex1 — replace with an undanned non-combat NPC.

• Operation. Non-combat — fishing (Livelihood:Fishing, cannot make battlefield checks), reading river, weather, and people (Perception Trained), ferry guidance. Information Authority: because a ferry is a place where people pass in and out of the gate, she knows who comes and goes. On the battlefield, untrained Commoner → treated as Rabble (Wounds 0; dies instantly if declaring an attack); individual data is used only in non-combat and narrative moments.
• Backstory. The ferryman's eldest daughter. Carrying her father's nets and feeding the family is her entire purpose.
• Relationship Hook. She tells the PCs ferry routes and rumors (local figure / informant). Her father's worsening illness is her clock.
• PC Conversion. Commoners cannot be used as PCs. If you want to move this person into a PC, rebuild her as a Dan 1 core-book class such as wildlander (wilds), ronin (wanderer), or "waterfront-born samurai."

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#Growth Preview — Reappearing from Dan 2 Onward

These six are not fixed bit parts. If the campaign runs long, the same people can advance in dan and reappear. Following the cross-table in co-04-02, the next cells open.

• Even-numbered dan (Dan 2 onward): attribute +1 (maximum +3) / skills +2 points.
• Odd-numbered dan (Dan 3 onward): talent slot + lower-dan talent borrowing possible. Dual build declaration becomes possible starting at Dan 3 — for example, if Onodera Shinta declares "Secondary Class: shinobi" at Dan 3, the dual build pattern on the road to Fuma (風魔) begins.
• Commoner Onami: Dan 9 cap, no Renown Title. Because she has no class talent slots, she replaces them with general talents (limited to 10 types) at each odd dan, and raises her Livelihood from Skilled to Artisan.

Actual advancement values are received starting in the Dan 2 chapter (fc11-02-02). This chapter only shows how that cell structure opens.

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#Scent — One Sentence

"The six are not anything yet — but only those who are not anything yet can become anything."