Xanathar's Guide to Everything's Samurai Subclass

I really didn't think the Samurai would make it, it felt mechanically redundant with the Knight, plus they already had two fighter archetypes, the Arcane Archer and the Cavalier.

I'm curious as to what it's final mechanics look like.

 

[Ranger REG]

Would they be describing Kara-Tur setting in the FR world of Toril for 5e?

 

[Wrathamon]

for me i dont understand the difference between knights & samurai to be honest. They're noble warriors who wear heavy armor and fight for a lord.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

for me i dont understand the difference between knights & samurai to be honest. They're noble warriors who wear heavy armor and fight for a lord.

They have often been portrayed quite differently in fiction. And that is the basis from which many D&D character concepts spring from.

If anything else, we have the opposite issue with the Samurai, same as with the Kensei and several other archetypes:
There are so many different portrayals of "Samurai" that many people had a concept of what a Samurai was that didn't fit with the way it was represented. From the historical mounted masters of the spear and bow, to the unarmoured duelling courtesans of later eras depicted in recent media. Many different concepts, all with the same name.

 

[BookBarbarian]

for me i dont understand the difference between knights & samurai to be honest. They're noble warriors who wear heavy armor and fight for a lord.

Knights rarely if ever used bows in battle. Samurai often did.

This is a moot point however since there is little about the Samurai class that well represents historical Samurai. Which Mearls was very up front about in the video.

 

[Morrus]

I'm not sure how I feel about Mearls telling me that when I say "I want to play a samurai" I'm clearly not saying "I want to play a noble born warrior from feudal Japan who has a warlord". That is exactly what I'm saying.

 

[3catcircus]

But how many *are* saying they want a noble asian warrior with feudalism and honor? Forgotten Realms is the default setting. Kozakura and Wa are the pseudo-Japan cultures/regions. How about doing more than just lip service and let the battlemaster fill that role for non-asian samurai.

 

[hejtmane]

They have often been portrayed quite differently in fiction. And that is the basis from which many D&D character concepts spring from.

If anything else, we have the opposite issue with the Samurai, same as with the Kensei and several other archetypes:
There are so many different portrayals of "Samurai" that many people had a concept of what a Samurai was that didn't fit with the way it was represented. From the historical mounted masters of the spear and bow, to the unarmoured duelling courtesans of later eras depicted in recent media. Many different concepts, all with the same name.

Most think of the Samarui of Meiji time or if older from the movie Shogun but I do much like you find it funny that the Samuari and the Knight were bacialy the same dam thing. Horsemen in heavy armor oh and alot of them carried a odachi or a nodachi large/Great sword or field sword. They were later outlawed and the Katana took over and of course the media myths and Japense ledgends etc etc took over. They were also great spearman and Bowman

 

[gyor]

There is also Samurai in "Shou" towns in various Faerun cities like Westgate.

And a Shou nation in Faerun which is called Nathlan I believe is a mix of Kara Tur cultures.

 

[Coroc]

But i want to play a ronin

 

[Coroc]

[MENTION=533]Ranger REG[/MENTION] but then they Need some more "eastern" subclasses.

Generally it is strange that they did not do so already, all the stuff looted from other campaign worlds and put into Toril but the things that were there from the start have not been mentioned.