Re: Character Generation

[jemmus]

Here's how I understand it so far, any corrections welcome.
FIS include your initial skills. That includes literacy, arts and practical skills. For example, my char has 10 known skills. I designated 8 of them as FIS. I picked two skills he doesn't know (but I want him to learn someday) as FIS. As I understood the rules, all FIS must be designated at the same time. You can't designate some, and save some for later.

As I understand it, a char can only study one skill at a time. Or more accurately, he could study more than one, each would be under the Hindrance rule about part-time study (p.8). The learning rate for each skill would be lowered.

For increasing Attribute scores, maybe the same rule applies? It takes three weeks of exercising the Attribute to increase it by 1 (p.2). So if exercising 2 Attributes at once, it would take 6 weeks to increase both by 1(?)

The other way to increase an Attribute is by studying a skill (as above). When the Base Chance of Success (BCS) for the skill increases by 1, the related Attribute increases by 1. For example, if the BCS for a bugei increases by one, the rules say that it's the char's Strength that increases by 1 (p.2).

Again, just the way I understand it as a new player too.

[NJWilliam]

i think the stat increase for a skill increase is one tenth of a point.

[jemmus]

Just checked. You're right, .1, not 1. It's a pretty long haul to get to a full 1.0 increase.

[ffilz]

The way I read it is that you don't have to designate your FIS skills up front, however, once you start training in a skill, if you have not reached your FIS maximum, that trained skill must become a FIS skill.

A Character may designate a number of Skills up to this amount as Freely Improvable. He must so designate all skills in which he actively trains as long as
he still has available points to allocate in his Freely Improvable Skills. One cannot voluntarily train in a Skill at the penalty for not being in a Freely Improvable Skill.

And yes, attribute increase is 0.1 physical attribute point per point of BCS improvement in a Bugei skill, or 0.05 mental attribute point per point of BCS increase in an Art skill.

[NJWilliam]

So can we train a statistic and also train skills at the same time?

[ffilz]

So can we train a statistic and also train skills at the same time?

No, I think either training is full time, well I guess you can train skills part time (at 1/2 rate...). I suppose I'd allow training attributes part time also, at 1/2 rate... So it doesn't buy you anything. Of course training skills DOES also train an attribute, it's just slow since you have to improve a Bugei skill 50 points (+10 BCS, +1 attribute)... Which at absolute best takes 5 weeks (LR 3 and ALL the training advantages...). Looks like attribute increase due to skill training is pretty incidental...

[jemmus]

The way I read it is that you don't have to designate your FIS skills up front, however, once you start training in a skill, if you have not reached your FIS maximum, that trained skill must become a FIS skill.

Got it, thanks.

[jemmus]

On my online char sheet, I changed the BCS column heading from "Raw BCS" to "BCS with Level Modifier." Because the figures there do have the char's level added. For skills that the character doesn't know, is the BCS 0, but the BCS defaults to 1? Or is the BCS 0 plus the char's level?

[ffilz]

On my online char sheet, I changed the BCS column heading from "Raw BCS" to "BCS with Level Modifier." Because the figures there do have the char's level added. For skills that the character doesn't know, is the BCS 0, but the BCS defaults to 1? Or is the BCS 0 plus the char's level?

Skills that aren't initial skills have a score of 0 thus Raw BCS of 0. It the skill is a bonus skill, you get to add your level for an Adjusted BCS of 1. Any skill that isn't a bonus skill for your profession that is not one of your initial skills is unusable (BCS 0).

[jmacatty]

Wow! We played that rule wrong back in the day. Maybe the GM was just being generous. We got a .1 attribute increase for every 1 point increase in the Bugei score. But I see your interpretation is absolutely correct. Yeah, increasing attribute scores by skill study is not really efficient.

[Faanku]

Correct me if I'm wrong here, but aren't ronin still of the buke caste and therefore samurai? I may be thinking L5R lore instead of Bushido.

[jemmus]

The way I understand it, the buke caste includes samurai and ronin. But ronin are separate and lower status than samurai. (p.39, p. 43).

[jmacatty]

The way I understand it, the buke caste includes samurai and ronin. But ronin are separate and lower status than samurai. (p.39, p. 43).

This is my understanding.

[Faanku]

The buke are still nobles compared to the heimin though, even if they are a ronin. Not sure what to call you in character if the term "samurai" is strictly for someone in service to a Lord.
Any suggestions?

[ffilz]

Let me do a little reading and see if I can come up with something. We might figure status fir everyone too.

Frank

[ffilz]

My reading so far hasn't uncovered much on forms of address:

For forms of address adding -san to the end of a name is reserved for members of the buke class. The -sama address is for higher ranked buke like captains, and -dono for commanders and warlords. If a name is not known, maybe just buke, or samurai? "If it may please the buke..."?

I think a reference to a heimin rank would be to just use the name, or just the assumed title (like "shopkeeper, I'll take the red silk").

An eta would not be addressed much at all...

[jemmus]

Here's what I know from modern Japan (and samurai movies). Everything depends on whether a person being addressed's station is younger/older, inferior/superior or equal to one's own.

People of equal status address each other by the family name and -san. For example, co-worker or not-intimate friend Nakamura Akio would be addressed as Nakamura-san.

Superiors are addressed by title, rather than name. For example, Bucho-san (Section Chief-san), Yanushi-san (Landlord-san) or O-Ne-san (Older Sister-san).

Younger girls are addressed by the given name with -chan. For example, Nakamura Michiko would be Michiko-chan. -Chan can be used for adults too, to show affection among good friends. Adult Michiko's best friends might call her Michiko-chan.

For boys, the same applies, but the suffix is -kun. For example, Nakamura-kun.

In very informal situations, a superior will address an inferior by the given name. For example, Nakamura Akio's gym teacher might address him as Akio, instead of Nakamura-kun. It's like addressing John Smith as Smith. Family members also address younger members by the given name.

People outside of own's social circle who are clearly superior or should be shown special politeness are addressed as -sama. Guests in stores or restaurants are addressed as O-Kyaku-sama (Customer-sama). Lords are addressed as Tono-sama (Lord-sama).

Any kind of teacher is addressed as -sensei, of course. Nakamura-sensei or just Sensei.

Tono becomes -dono as a suffix. The given name is used, so Uesugi Kenshin is referred to as Kenshin-dono. But not to his face, only if referring to him out of his presence. Children of lords are addressed as Waka-dono (Young-dono).

So for Nakamura Akio, here's how various people would address him.
Parent or older sibling- Akio-kun
Younger sibling - O-Nii-san (Older brother-san)
Co-worker - Nakamura-san
Best friends - Akio-san or Akio-kun
Merchant - O-Kyaku-sama or O-Kyaku-san
Boss - Nakamura-san or Nakamura-kun (depending on how the boss gauges Akio's maturity, or how fond he is of Akio).

[ffilz]

Here's what I know from modern Japan (and samurai movies). Everything depends on whether a person being addressed's station is younger/older, inferior/superior or equal to one's own.

People of equal status address each other by the family name and -san. For example, co-worker or not-intimate friend Nakamura Akio would be addressed as Nakamura-san.

Superiors are addressed by title, rather than name. For example, Bucho-san (Section Chief-san), Yanushi-san (Landlord-san) or O-Ne-san (Older Sister-san).

Younger girls are addressed by the given name with -chan. For example, Nakamura Michiko would be Michiko-chan. -Chan can be used for adults too, to show affection among good friends. Adult Michiko's best friends might call her Michiko-chan.

For boys, the same applies, but the suffix is -kun. For example, Nakamura-kun.

In very informal situations, a superior will address an inferior by the given name. For example, Nakamura Akio's gym teacher might address him as Akio, instead of Nakamura-kun. It's like addressing John Smith as Smith. Family members also address younger members by the given name.

People outside of own's social circle who are clearly superior or should be shown special politeness are addressed as -sama. Guests in stores or restaurants are addressed as O-Kyaku-sama (Customer-sama). Lords are addressed as Tono-sama (Lord-sama).

Any kind of teacher is addressed as -sensei, of course. Nakamura-sensei or just Sensei.

Tono becomes -dono as a suffix. The given name is used, so Uesugi Kenshin is referred to as Kenshin-dono. But not to his face, only if referring to him out of his presence. Children of lords are addressed as Waka-dono (Young-dono).

So for Nakamura Akio, here's how various people would address him.
Parent or older sibling- Akio-kun
Younger sibling - O-Nii-san (Older brother-san)
Co-worker - Nakamura-san
Best friends - Akio-san or Akio-kun
Merchant - O-Kyaku-sama or O-Kyaku-san
Boss - Nakamura-san or Nakamura-kun (depending on how the boss gauges Akio's maturity, or how fond he is of Akio).

Yea, I saw all of that. My reading between the lines suggests that the modern use of -san and -sama spread beyond the buke class, presumably as the distinction between buke and heimin started to break down.

I'm surprised at how few of the samurai themed RPGs discuss honorifics, especially with modern Japanese usage it's sort of one of the hallmarks of Japanese culture.

The Blossoms are Falling seemed to have the most complete discussion.

[jemmus]

Yeah, that would make sense that -san and -sama started being used for everyone later, when people became equal citizens instead of samurai and heimin.

[Faanku]

Aye, suffixes I'm pretty well-versed in thanks to many years of playing L5R and watching Japanese cinema.
I was under the impression that buke and samurai (and even bushi to an extent) were fairly synonymous; a ronin, though lacking a master to serve, was still of a higher caste than the heimin (literally half-people compared to the "actually full human" samurai), allowed to wear the daishou as they were still buke. But we're in Nippon, not Japan, so whatever you rule I'll happily go with.
An interesting discussion either way!