[OA] HELP! I don't understand Maho-Tsukai and Taint or Maho and undeadness...

[DM_Matt]

It seems to me that Maho-tsukai are perpetually acquiring Taint and most have no way to reduce it. Wont it very quickly bring their Wis to zero and kill them?

How on earth can such a character function? The wording seems to also talk about an "effective penalty" to ability scores. Does that mean "for purposes of checks?" as opposed to "in actuality" so that the taint cannot actually kill or incapacitate its users very, very quickly?

A related question: are their any really limitations on the taint powers in Monsters of Rokugun, or can someone just decide that they have all of them.

On a related note, the power which raises you when you die but changes your type to undead and gives you 25 taint points -- does it prevent you from casting maho spells because you are undead and have no blood, or do tainted undead (and other undead?) have blood to cast Maho spells with? Akutenshis seem to, because one of their powers relates to maho spellcasting...

 

[Black Omega]

It seems to me that Maho-tsukai are perpetually acquiring Taint and most have no way to reduce it. Wont it very quickly bring their Wis to zero and kill them?

In a way. Once their taint score reaches 10 they become an NPC wandering relentlessly toward the shadowlands, until they arrive there or are killed. 0 Wisdom won't kill someone, they are simply lost in nightmares, which is close enough to this.

How on earth can such a character function?

Not very well. That's why the Rokugan book changed the taint table to go all the way to 90 and changed the effect it had on abilities. The bloodspeaker PrC from Way of the shugenja also gives a bonus to resisting taint when using Maho-tsukai.

A related question: are their any really limitations on the taint powers in Monsters of Rokugun, or can someone just decide that they have all of them.

The limitations on the powers seems pretty well defined. It's up to the GM to decide what powers a PC might start to exhibit. Personally, I'd base it on the PC. A thief might get Unholy Vision or a Samurai might get Blackened Claws. but this is up to the GM, the character doesn't get a menu.

On a related note, the power which raises you when you die but changes your type to undead and gives you 25 taint points -- does it prevent you from casting maho spells because you are undead and have no blood, or do tainted undead (and other undead?) have blood to cast Maho spells with? Akutenshis seem to, because one of their powers relates to maho spellcasting...

Maho-tsukai can use the blood of others as well as their own. Both Rokugan and OA make mention of this, though they differ in degree.