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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AFGNCAAP" data-source="post: 1253466" data-attributes="member: 871">My key concern was the core classes that did have Rokugan-specific elements in them (the samurai to a degree, but primarily the shugenja, which goes with the four Western elements, while the Shaman & Wu Jen goes with the five Eastern elements).  For example, the shugenja not only gain a bonus spell from a certain element, but also a bonus spell from a certain school-clan they're a part of--holy easy would it be to remove the clan-school spell list?Also, how certain elements would cross over:   *   Could a D&D sorcerer learn an OA sorcerer spell if exposed to it? (And thus, do wizards & wu jen have the relatively same power level at each level, or does one class gain something more than the other at an earlier level?  And is a spell that's a 3rd level wizard spell in D&D actually a 3rd level spell for a wu jen, or is it higher or lower?)  Along the same lines, what spells would change if updated to 3.5?   *   Is the "spirit" monster type considered a kind of fey (IIRC, the spirit folk races in FRCS Unapproachable East are treated as a sort of fey, & get Sylvan instead of Spirit Tongue)?   *   When would the Honorable magic weapon property kick in?  Would it grant its bonuses against a CG character (since Honorable weapons are pretty much for LG/LN characters)?   *   What effects would removing the Shadowlands & all of its elements (including Shadow Taint) have on the game/system?  For example, if there's no Taint issue for PCs, then the Nezumi immunity to Taint racial ability doesn't come into play at all. (BTW, I like the idea of using the nezumi for my default rat-men/skaven/ratling race).   *   How would Oni & other outsiders fit in to the various planes?  Do they inhabit another plane of their own?  What about using them in FRCS---where would they fit in on the Great Tree cosmology?  Or the Great Wheel cosmology if used in Greyhawk?Other than that, I have a few general questions regarding the Rokugan-influenced OA:*   The current OA version of shugenja depict them as samurai-caste priests/divine spellcasters.  Is there any mythological/folklore precedent for this class (I'm thinking Japanese, but can't be sure).  If so, could you elaborate on it?*   Do the core classes/races in OA have a lot/too much of a Japanese infleunce?  I know samurai do, but then again, there are guidelines for using the class in other Asian cultures?*   How important/built-in is the Honor system in OA?  IIRC, the 1st ed. OA Honor system was pretty intense, while the 3rd ed. OA seems to be more like alignment (simple titles, somewhat compared to existing ALs to a degree).  What affects would removing it from the game have? (Would it be as much as removing AL from D&D?)I think that some of these issues could be resolved if (1) WotC upgraded OA to 3.5, whether by a new book or a web enhancement/.pdf release, and (2) WotC used the material from OA (updated, of course) for a mini-game/supplement for FRCS (ala Kara-Tur, or one way to effectively mesh D&D and OA together).  IIRC, the Al-Qadim shi'ar (sp?) is getting the 3.5 treatment in an upcoming issue of Dragon, but I'm not sure about OA/Kara-Tur.And, just to be thorough, here's a question about the AEG d20 Lo5R stuff:   *   How well would the core classes work in D&D?  Is the Courtier a PC version of the Aristocrat NPC class?  Are Ninjas a 20-level core class variant of the assassin (or just another take on the rogue)?  Do they have class abilities/mechanics that wouldn't convert over well to regular D&D or OA?  How different is the AEG Samurai from the OA Samurai?Thanks for the replies!  I'd appreciate any more info/comments that you can provide.</blockquote>

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