Elven Samurai...

[boothbey]

Looking to put an Elven/Half-Elven nation with a bit of an Oriental feel into a world I'm working on. Just a bit. I want to work in samurai and looking for ideas on how to meld it with elven culture.

Working ideas are for scale armor and scimitars rather than the traditional samurai armor and weapons.

I don't have Oriental Adventures or Rokugan books so I don't know how they work in there, only hard rules I have to reference are the Master Samurai prestige class in Sword and Fist.

I need to let the idea percolate a bit more, but if anyone has any thoughts for me to chew over I'd appreciate it.

 

[Crothian]

How about instead of the Scimitar use the Elven thinblade from one of the first dragons. It's an EWP, and is basuically an improved rapier (1d8 damage, crit 18-20, can be finessed).

 

[Theuderic]

The Sovereign Stone setting----- I've heard the elves in that world follow a samurai code of honor and are extremely lawful

 

[Mr Fidgit]

The Sovereign Stone setting----- I've heard the elves in that world follow a samurai code of honor and are extremely lawful

did they change the elven gods to match? all elven dieties i've ever read about are Chaotic

 

[Drakmar]

the sov stone version is pretty cool.. but you have to realise that the sov stone system has a different magic system (a really good one IMO)

they do explain how the elves relate to their gods.. quite interesting.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Commenting on the things already mentioned:

I assume you chose the scimitar for its similarity to the katana. I'd say that's a good choice, but that they should wield it two-handed (the standard way of wielding a katana). Or you could go with a bastard sword, which works well seeing as the katana is considered a masterwork bastard sword. The elven proficiencies should be changed from long sword or rapier to scimitar or bastard sword. Bow proficiencies would stay the same, although many would prefer the short bow, since it can be used on horseback.

These elves would be primarily lawful in alignment, rather than chaotic, as in a standard campaign. You need gods that reflect a lawful society.

Grey elves (sun elves in FR) would work better than moon elves, because they're more civilized and arrogant. The grey elves' attribute are also closer to the Asian stereotype, for whatever that's worth. These elves might also have Asian eyes (i.e., more slanted than Westerners).

A samurai society might have Fighters, Wizards or Sorcerers, Monks, Clerics, Rangers, and Rogues (who might be more like scouts than thieves, typically). Paladin samurai might fit. Druids might fit. I'm not so sure about Bards or Barbarians. Psions and Psychic Warriors are appropriate.

If your samurai are mostly Fighters, you might want to change the favored class to Fighter. You might also want to tinker the Fighter's skill list to allow things that are more oriented to a Samurai.

 

[Chun-tzu]

These elves as a nation might also be somewhat isolated or even xenophobic, as both China and Japan have been at times. They would not be too fond of outsiders, and would mostly keep to themselves. They would be somewhat puristic, and half-elves would be rare, and considered lesser by "true" elves.

 

[Theuderic]

Jesus that sounds pretty much like normal elves to me!

 

[Lela]

These elves as a nation might also be somewhat isolated or even xenophobic, as both China and Japan have been at times. They would not be too fond of outsiders, and would mostly keep to themselves. They would be somewhat puristic, and half-elves would be rare, and considered lesser by "true" elves.

As Theuderic says, where's the change?

 

[Dragongirl]

I still prefer great scimitars, not normal ones or whatever the thin elven blades are.