#Chapter 6 (Part One) — The Basic 6 Classes

Contents

What you settle before you draw the blade is not a concept but a role. What you do on the battlefield — hold the line, cut in, strike from behind, hurl sorcery, slaughter in the Core Zone, or hold your allies up. The six basic classes each take one of these six posts. These six alone complete a party with no missing role, and a new player need only choose from here. The extended 12 classes, outsiders, and majin are opened later, together with the GM, once you are used to it.

Read each class card like this. First grasp what the class is on the battlefield through its identity (Scent), then check what it gains at the 1st through 5th dan in the technique table. The 1st-dan unique specialty is acquired automatically on promotion, and at the 3rd and 5th dan you choose one from each table. The 6th dan and above (7th, 9th, Tatsujin) are summarized in one line under "beyond" — for the full text, see the class page in the core rulebook. Read while remembering that Energy is the action resource, Wounds are life, Defense is the to-hit target number, a Critical Hit is a double, and round, breath, and lull are units of time.

The core roles the six classes take: samurai = Front Zone / defense; ronin = mobility / assassination; shinobi = mobility / assassination (infiltration); onmyoji = sorcery / summoning; esoteric monk = Core Zone / melee; Pure Land Monk = support / recovery.

Source: co-04-07-00 §Tier 1 — the basic 6 classes

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#01. Samurai (侍)

Ruler of the Front Zone. The line hardens by his simply standing there. When five ashigaru say "it's too frightening, we can't go," and the samurai steps forward first, the five follow. His first virtue is not a flashy strike but an immovability (不動) that does not fall back a single step. Bushido is beautiful and cruel — between the lord's order and humanity, from the fissure between Loyalty (忠) and benevolence (仁), the samurai's true battle begins.

• Role: Front Zone / defense (Domination anchor, squad commander) · Core attributes: Courage/Physique · Core Zone entry: forced Breakthrough · Heart: Loyalty (忠) or Hegemony (覇)
• Starting automatic skills: Swordsmanship acquired; Fighting Spirit, Military Science, Intimidation at entry level

1st dan (automatic): Immovable Formation (不動の陣) [stance] — Energy 2 (declare), maintain: until released, 1 stance at a time. Effect: allied Domination +3 in that zone (+4 in the Front Zone), enemy Breakthrough target number +2, cannot move. Release: free action 0 Energy, automatically released on moving.

Squad Tactics (chosen in place of a 3rd/5th-dan class specialty): Vanguard Charge (3rd dan, [Tactic:Kata], squad order cost+1, 1/round — the samurai must be in the same zone; the samurai and the squad move+attack at the same time, squad check +1, the samurai's next attack also +1) · Ironwall Formation (5th dan, [Tactic:Stance], squad order cost, maintain — as long as they are in the same zone, squad Defense +2 and cannot move; can stack with Immovable Formation).

Beyond — 7th dan: Muso ([Kata] 3, attack A against all enemies in the zone) / General's Banner ([stance]) / Samurai's Pride (immune to Fear and Fumble), pick 1. 9th dan: Demon of the Battlefield (recover Energy 2 on a kill, cannot exceed max Energy) / Peerless Under Heaven (Defense +3) / Matchless Against a Thousand (Domination +6 while alone), pick 1. Tatsujin: 1 advanced specialty + Renown Title.

• Recommended weapons: uchigatana (all-purpose), tachi (mounted), zanbato/nodachi (large-target specialist and one-strike kill) · Recommended schools: Katori Shinto-ryu (Heaven-Earth-Man), Jigen-ryu, Yagyu Shinkage-ryu · Recommended factions: Kagura Domain, Ikko-ikki, Enryokan
• Honor-class caution: the samurai is an honor class at the core of bushido — on leaving the battlefield with no exemption condition: Fame -1, a Three Ways and Six Hearts check to shift toward Void (虛), Squad Cohesion -1, Lord affinity -2.

Source: co-04-07-01 (all sections) · Honor status: co-04-07-00 §Honor Classification

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#02. Ronin (浪人)

Blade of the wind. A blade freed of its bonds by the loss of its lord, the mirror image of the samurai. If the samurai is a mountain, the ronin is the wind that grinds the mountain down. A ronin gripping a dagger in the Core Zone is the most dangerous on the battlefield — Immovable Formation and shield walls are merely scenery to a ronin, who just walks in. In one breath they cut the vital point of five enemies once each. That freedom is a cruel freedom. To protect someone by choice rather than duty — that is what a samurai can never have.

• Role: mobility / assassination (mobile strikes, Core Zone combat, solo action) · Core attributes: Courage/Finesse · Core Zone entry: free · Heart: No Heart (無心) or Truth (眞)
• Starting automatic skills: Swordsmanship acquired; Footwork, Survival, Speed at entry level

1st dan (automatic): Blade of the Wind (風の刃) [aptitude] — When moving into a zone with high enemy Domination / the Core Zone, Energy -1 (minimum 1). Free entry/exit of the Core Zone.

Squad Tactics: Skirmish Order (3rd dan, [Tactic:Kata], squad order cost+1, 1/round — the squad appears in the enemy Rear Zone by way of the Flank Zone, Surprise Attack check +2, Squad Cohesion -1) · Ronin Solidarity (5th dan, [Tactic:Aptitude] — Minion/Veteran squads in the same zone move in time with the ronin's breath, squad order cost -1 (minimum 0); no effect if the ronin is in the Core Zone).

Beyond — 7th dan: Shadowless (movement Energy 1, automatic Breakthrough success) / Chain Cut (recover Energy +1 immediately on a kill) / Demon of the Core Zone (Critical expansion within the Core Zone), pick 1. 9th dan: Afterimage (ignore Domination/Breakthrough, first-breath initiative modifier +N each round) / One Flash ([Kata] 4, annihilate all enemy Minions in the zone + 2 Wounds to Elite/Lord) / Deathline (all attacks are automatic Critical Hits at Wounds 1), pick 1. Tatsujin: 1 advanced specialty + Renown Title.

• Recommended weapons: ninjato, kodachi, uchigatana, kaiken, Nito-ryu (kodachi + uchigatana) · Recommended schools: Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, Ito Itto-ryu, Jigen-ryu, no school · Recommended factions: Fuma Band, none (being unaffiliated is the ronin's essence)

Source: co-04-07-02 (all sections)

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#03. Shinobi (忍)

Shadow techniques. A presence not on the battlefield — until the enemy finds them. Moving in from the outside, they appear in the enemy Rear Zone and go for the enemy general's neck. The shinobi's work is not to defeat the enemy's army but to end it before it begins. "Fair and square" is the samurai's vanity; the shinobi looks only at the result. Yet a shinobi too is human, and the loneliest of humans — when the mission is over, there is no identity, no house, no comrade.

• Role: assassination / scouting / disruption / information war · Core attributes: Finesse/Fate · Core Zone entry: free · Heart: Loyalty (忠) or No Heart (無心)
• Starting automatic skills: Ninjutsu acquired; Infiltration, Lightness Skill, Disguise at entry level

1st dan (automatic): Shadow Crossing (影渡り) [aptitude] — Move from the outside to anywhere for 0 Energy ([Kata]) (1/round). Free entry/exit of the Core Zone.

Squad Tactics: Disruption Operation (3rd dan, [Tactic:Kata], squad order cost, 1/round — 1 enemy squad in an adjacent zone gets Cohesion -2, and that enemy squad's next attack check -1) · Hidden Deployment (5th dan, [Tactic:Stance], squad order cost, maintain — deploy the squad infiltrating, detected at Perception≥13; before detection its Domination contribution is 0, but on detection/release the Surprise Attack check is +3).

Beyond — 7th dan: Vanish ([Kata] 1, move to the outside immediately, enemies cannot react) / Assassin's Eye (all attacks [Pierce 2]) / Trapmaker ([Kata] 2), pick 1. 9th dan: Shadow Clone Technique ([Kata] 3) / Instant Kill (ambush first strike is instant death regardless of Wounds, Lord excepted = 4 Wounds) / Formless (always infiltrating, Perception≥17), pick 1. Tatsujin: 1 advanced specialty + Renown Title.

• Recommended weapons: ninjato, kaiken, kunai, shuriken, kodachi · Recommended schools: Iga-ryu (Killing Incense), Koga-ryu (trap chain), no school · Recommended factions: Fuma Band, Biu Mountain, Kagura Domain

Source: co-04-07-03 (all sections)

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#04. Onmyoji (陰陽師)

One who reads the stars. They control the unseen world. They send shikigami to scout, hold back yoma with Barriers, and curse enemies with sorcery. They change the flow of battle without standing in the Front Zone, but the onmyoji themselves are weaker than any other class — because their weapon is not their own blade but the movement of the stars. The one who uses curses is cursed. Every sorcery shaves away lifespan, and many 9th-dan onmyoji have turned white-haired in their 30s.

• Role: summoning / ranged sorcery / yoma control / Barriers · Core attribute: Wisdom · Core Zone entry: forced Breakthrough · Heart: Truth (眞) or Loyalty (忠)
• Starting automatic skills: Sorcery acquired; Exorcism, Barrier, Prophecy at entry level

1st dan (automatic): Shikigami Control (式神使役) [Kata] — Energy 2, limit: as many as the Wisdom modifier per combat (minimum 1/combat). Summon 1 shikigami in any zone. Shikigami: Wounds 1, Defense 12, Domination +1, can be hit instead. A shikigami is an individual unit (not a squad) and has no Energy of its own — the onmyoji moves it with a control action (0 Energy [Kata]), and this action shares the 2-times-per-round cap (even if several are summoned, it triggers only up to 2 times per round).

Squad Tactics: Shikigami Command (3rd dan, [Tactic:Kata], 0 Energy (squad order cost waived), 1/round — dispatch a shikigami as a deputy commander, trigger 1 squad order this round at 0 Energy; unusable if the shikigami is incapacitated) · Five-Direction Formation (5th dan, [Tactic:Stance], squad order cost+2, maintain — a weak Barrier over the whole zone (1 Wound on yoma entry) + squad ranged attacks +1).

Beyond — 7th dan: Great Shikigami ([Kata] 3, Elite-grade shikigami Wounds 3 · Defense 14 · Domination +4, control cap 3 times per round) / Yin-Yang Reversal ([Kata] 3, swap zone Domination between allies↔enemies) / Eye of Prophecy, pick 1. 9th dan: Night Parade of a Hundred Demons ([Kata] 4, summon 10 Mobs into the Core Zone, enemy Domination -5) / Sealing Art ([Kata] 5, seal 1 Elite/Lord — 2d10+Wisdom ≥ target's Defense, on success cannot act for 1 round, and the target may end it early at the start of each round with 2d10+Wisdom ≥ 13) / Astronomy, pick 1. Tatsujin: 1 advanced specialty + Renown Title.

• Recommended weapons: none (shikigami/sorcery specialist), self-defense tanto or rokushakubo · Recommended schools: Abe-ryu (Great Shikigami Art), Tsuchimikado-ryu (curses + astronomy) · Recommended factions: Kagura Domain, Enryokan, Biu Mountain

Source: co-04-07-04 (all sections)

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#05. Esoteric Monk (密教僧)

The path of Shura. Both monk and warrior. The mirror image of the Pure Land Monk. Where other exorcists face yoma from a distance, the esoteric monk leaps into the yoma's arms — the asura-field of the Core Zone is his dojo (道場). Scripture is his armor and the mudra (印) is his blade. A soft hand touches the patient, and the next day cuts down a yoma; the two are the same hand. The greatest danger is becoming a Shura (修羅) — so the esoteric monk's true training is not to grow stronger but to never forget why he took up the blade.

• Role: Core Zone combat / exorcism / close-range slaughter / self-healing · Core attributes: Courage/Physique · Core Zone entry: free · Heart: Compassion (慈) or Truth (眞)
• Starting automatic skills: Unarmed Combat acquired; Exorcism, Fighting Spirit, Hardiness at entry level

1st dan (automatic): Seal of Shura (修羅の印) [aptitude] — Within the Core Zone (心府), all melee techniques cost Energy -1 (minimum 1). Free entry into the Core Zone. Does not apply outside the Core Zone.

Squad Tactics: Dharma-Protection Barrier (3rd dan, [Tactic:Stance], squad order cost+1, maintain — a Barrier on the squad's zone, 2 Wounds on yoma entry / entry check Wisdom≥11, squads within the Barrier are immune to Fear) · Vajra Guardian Formation (5th dan, [Tactic:Kata], squad order cost+1, 1/round — the esoteric monk must be in the same zone, yoma-targeting squad attacks +3, [Incorporeal] applies).

Beyond — 7th dan: Asura (one-breath limit +2 → 7 within the Core Zone) / Great Exorcism Formation ([Kata] 4, 2 Wounds to all yoma in the zone + block yoma entry for 2 rounds) / Mantra ([Kata] 2), pick 1. 9th dan: Human Weapon (bare hands [Pierce 2] or [Direct 2], pick 1) / Nirvana Quiescence ([Kata] 0, revive at Wounds 0, then incapacitated 1 round later) / Mahavairocana's Blessing (yoma damage to allies in the same zone halved), pick 1. Tatsujin: 1 advanced specialty + Renown Title.

• Recommended weapons: vajra, tanto, rokushakubo, bare hands/Unarmed Combat, katana · Recommended schools: Takenouchi-ryu (Unarmed Combat), Shugendo-ryu, Shingon-ryu (Mahavairocana Mantra) · Recommended factions: Hiei League, Enryokan, temple-origin background

Source: co-04-07-05 (all sections)

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#06. Pure Land Monk (淨土僧)

Amida's Shield. A monk who need not fight. When they chant nembutsu behind the Front Zone, ashigaru who feared death take up their spears again. Where other classes end war by killing the enemy, the Pure Land Monk keeps allies alive to endure it — that is the war of compassion. Their core is Cohesion, and they are the only class that keeps a squad from collapsing. The moment the most compassionate class places bamboo spears in peasants' hands (Ikko-ikki), it becomes the leader of the most dangerous uprising.

• Role: keep squad morale up / Cohesion buffs / recovery / grant Fear immunity · Core attributes: Presence/Physique · Core Zone entry: forced Breakthrough · Heart: Compassion (慈) (Way of Emptiness)
• Starting automatic skills: Negotiation acquired; Bearing, Medicine, Fighting Spirit at entry level

1st dan (automatic): Amida's Shield (阿彌陀の盾) [aptitude] — An allied squad in the same zone does not collapse even if its Cohesion reaches 0 (Cohesion 1 maintained). Lasts as long as the Pure Land Monk remains in that zone. If they move, the effect range changes (old zone released, new zone applied).

Squad Tactics: Dharma-Teaching Exhortation (3rd dan, [Tactic:Kata], squad order cost, 1/round — squad Cohesion +2 + immediately clear the Fear state) · Amida Formation (5th dan, [Tactic:Stance], squad order cost+1, maintain — the Pure Land Monk must be in the same zone, the squad is immune to Cohesion collapse, released when the Pure Land Monk leaves).

Beyond — 7th dan: Rebirth in the Pure Land (when an ally is incapacitated, allies in that zone attack +2, 2 rounds) / Dharma-Power Barrier ([Kata] 3, on enemy entry into the zone, Cohesion -1 + Domination -2) / Dignity of a High Monk (Presence aura ×2), pick 1. 9th dan: Amida Manifest ([Kata] 5, all allies recover all Cohesion + revive 1 incapacitated ally at Wounds 1) / State of Nirvana (endures until the lull even when incapacitated, revives at Wounds 1 at the lull) / Infinite Life (Amida's Shield expands to 2 adjacent zones), pick 1. Tatsujin: 1 advanced specialty + Renown Title.

• Recommended weapons: naginata (Pure Land Monk symbol), rokushakubo, tanto · Recommended schools: Manase-ryu (Medicine), Shingon-ryu (Mahavairocana Mantra), no school · Recommended factions: Ikko-ikki, Hiei League, Enryokan
• Honor-class caution: the Pure Land Monk is an honor class as the faith-guarantor of the shinto community — on leaving the battlefield with no exemption condition, they take the same follow-up penalties as the samurai.

Source: co-04-07-06 (all sections) · Honor status: co-04-07-00 §Honor Classification

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#Summary

• Six classes = six posts. Samurai (hardens the line) · ronin (cuts in fast) · shinobi (strikes from behind) · onmyoji (controls with sorcery) · esoteric monk (slaughters in the Core Zone) · Pure Land Monk (holds allies up). These six alone make a party with no missing role.
• Only three enter the Core Zone freely — ronin, shinobi, esoteric monk. The other three (samurai, onmyoji, Pure Land Monk) need forced Breakthrough.
• 1st-dan specialties are automatic; at the 3rd and 5th dan, pick 1 from each table. Squad Tactics specialties take a 3rd/5th-dan class specialty slot in their place.
• The honor classes are two — samurai and Pure Land Monk. Leaving the battlefield with no exemption condition incurs Fame, Cohesion, and Lord-affinity penalties, plus a Three Ways and Six Hearts check to shift toward Void (虛).
• The extended 12 classes are covered in Chapter 6 Parts Two and Three; majin and outsiders are covered in the core rulebook.

Source: co-04-07-00 §Tier 1 · §Honor Classification