The Proconsul
First Post
This is my forst review, so please bear with me. This is not a playtest review.
Way of the Shugenja is a paperback book with 96 pages. At I got it from Amazon for 18$. but at normally 25 bucks, it has a very steep price.
The book's layout is very similar to the Way of the Samurai; it starts with a sizable Introduction, detailing the role of the Shugenja in the Rokugan campaign setting, building up on the material provided in Magic of Rokugan . It details things such as the personalities of the kami (the spirits shugenja gain their magical powers from), and various non-magical rituals.
Besides these non-mechanical flavor things, two new mechanics are introdruced:
Multi-element spells combine effects of various elements, but are more difficult to learn.
Dojo grant you benefits depending on where you were trained as a shugenja. However, being a member of a dojo also means you are responsible of living up to it's reputation, and not sullening it's honor.
A couple of new feats are also introduced.
The introduction is followed by the Shugenja of the Clans chapters. There is one chapter for each clan, plus Minor Clans, Shadowlands and Ronin. Each chapter includes descriptions of the clan's oulook on magic, a dojo or two, some five-level prestige classes representing special training, and a couple of secret spells only avaible to that clan (mostly multi-element spells).
The Shadowlands chapter includes rules on the Tsuno ravager. Naturally, being non-Rokugani, the Tsuno cannot call upon the Kami like Humans can. Their "shugenja" are called Soultwisters, and gain their power from various spirit realms (including Tengoku, the Celestial Heavens, surprinsingly). There is also information on the Bloodspeakers, a cult of maho-tsukai (dark magicians) within the borders of the Emerald Empire.
Conclusion
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It is very heavy on the exposition side of things, with mostly cultural information in the various shugenja. This is not a negative thing, in my opinion though. But it IS quite costly, and for the price, on could have expected a few more crunchy bits. The rules are, as far as I can see it, quite well implemented.
Because it's mostly exposition, it is almost useless outside of Rokugan. What help is knowing what the Crane think of magic if there ARE no Crane? The few (interesting, and portable IMHO, as they are) spells and PCs are simply not woth the price. So it's a 4 inside Rokugan for it's exhaustive information, and a 2 outside. I gave it a 4 overall, because it's clearly a campaign specific sourcebook, and besides a blurp on the back cover, doesn't claim otherwise.
Way of the Shugenja is a paperback book with 96 pages. At I got it from Amazon for 18$. but at normally 25 bucks, it has a very steep price.
The book's layout is very similar to the Way of the Samurai; it starts with a sizable Introduction, detailing the role of the Shugenja in the Rokugan campaign setting, building up on the material provided in Magic of Rokugan . It details things such as the personalities of the kami (the spirits shugenja gain their magical powers from), and various non-magical rituals.
Besides these non-mechanical flavor things, two new mechanics are introdruced:
Multi-element spells combine effects of various elements, but are more difficult to learn.
Dojo grant you benefits depending on where you were trained as a shugenja. However, being a member of a dojo also means you are responsible of living up to it's reputation, and not sullening it's honor.
A couple of new feats are also introduced.
The introduction is followed by the Shugenja of the Clans chapters. There is one chapter for each clan, plus Minor Clans, Shadowlands and Ronin. Each chapter includes descriptions of the clan's oulook on magic, a dojo or two, some five-level prestige classes representing special training, and a couple of secret spells only avaible to that clan (mostly multi-element spells).
The Shadowlands chapter includes rules on the Tsuno ravager. Naturally, being non-Rokugani, the Tsuno cannot call upon the Kami like Humans can. Their "shugenja" are called Soultwisters, and gain their power from various spirit realms (including Tengoku, the Celestial Heavens, surprinsingly). There is also information on the Bloodspeakers, a cult of maho-tsukai (dark magicians) within the borders of the Emerald Empire.
Conclusion
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It is very heavy on the exposition side of things, with mostly cultural information in the various shugenja. This is not a negative thing, in my opinion though. But it IS quite costly, and for the price, on could have expected a few more crunchy bits. The rules are, as far as I can see it, quite well implemented.
Because it's mostly exposition, it is almost useless outside of Rokugan. What help is knowing what the Crane think of magic if there ARE no Crane? The few (interesting, and portable IMHO, as they are) spells and PCs are simply not woth the price. So it's a 4 inside Rokugan for it's exhaustive information, and a 2 outside. I gave it a 4 overall, because it's clearly a campaign specific sourcebook, and besides a blurp on the back cover, doesn't claim otherwise.
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