Base Requirements

• Races: Any
• Homelands: Aglarond, Thay, or Impiltur
• Sub-Classes: Any Warrior
• Ability Requirements: Muscle 13, Aim 13, Fitness 13, Reason 14, Willpower 14
• Alignments: Lawful
• Starting Cash: By class

Weapon Proficiencies

• Weapon Slots: By class
• Bonus Weapon Proficiencies: Katana, Wakizashi, Martial Arts
• Required Weapon Proficiencies: Katana Specialization, Wakizashi Specialization, Composite Longbow
• Allowed Weapons: By class
• Allowed Armors: By class

Non-Weapon Proficiencies:

• Non-weapon Slots: By class
• Available Categories: By class, plus Social
• Bonus Non-weapon Proficiencies: Etiquette, Intimidation, Land-based Riding, Weapon Sharpening
• Required Proficiencies: Literacy
• Recommended Proficiencies: Administration, Appraising, Armorer, Artistic Ability, Blind-Fighting, Calligraphy, Ceremony, Charge, Direction Sense, Display Weapon Prowess, Endurance, Gaming, Heraldry, Intimidation, Running, Survival, Weaponsmithing
• Forbidden Proficiencies: Dirty Fighting, Street Fighting, Wild Fighting

Overview: The samurai is a warrior from cultures based on the medieval Japanese civilization. He lives by a very strict code of honor and behavior, a code demanding: absolute obedience to his lord; readiness to die for honor or for his lord at any time; eagerness to avenge any dishonor to his lord, his family, or himself; willingness to repay all debts honorably; and unwillingness to demonstrate the most dishonorable trait of cowardice.

Samurai are among the proudest of warriors, serving in armies or other groups of fighters. The noblest moment in a Samurai’s life is the defeat of a major threat to his master, such as killing an evil spirit stalking his lord. Samurai are the quintessential disciplinarians. They encourage cleverness in strategy. Samurai are fascinated by technology and magic, and they can integrate most items into war strategies.

In the Realms, these characters are unique to the lands of Aglarond, Impiltur, and Thay.

Description: Samurai dress as one might expect. They wear their hair in top-knots, dress in oriental armor, and carry japanese weapons.

Role-Playing: In a campaign, unless the campaign itself is set in an eastern culture, the Samurai is present to provide a touch of the exotic; it also allows for a variety of warrior who can be tremendously deadly. Ronin especially often leave their homeland in shame, and, in his constant wanderings, a ronin might find his way to non-Oriental lands.

A samurai can fall from his noble position within a greater lord’s household. It may be that the house has perished in a war or other calamity, or that the samurai’s lord has rejected him, or ordered him to commit suicide and the samurai has refused, or that the samurai has left his lord for some other point of honor. Regardless, the samurai is now masterless; he is called ronin. The ronin has all of the abilities of the samurai, but operates under slightly different rules, as you will see below. With your DM’s permission, you can create your character as a ronin instead of a samurai. A samurai can become a ronin at any time in a campaign; likewise, by swearing allegiance to a lord who will have him, a ronin can become a samurai again.

Special Abilities:

• Each Samurai (or ronin) character begins with a free Katana and Wakizashi.
• The Samurai and ronin are able to focus their vital energies to increase their Strength score—temporarily. Once per day per experience level, the samurai or ronin can increase his Muscle score to 18/00. This lasts for one full round, and must be preceded by a loud kiai shout (making it impossible for him to summon this strength silently or stealthily). For that one round, all his hit probability, damage adjustment, weight allowance, maximum press, and feat of strength rolls are calculated as if his Muscle score were 18/00. If his Muscle is already 18/00 or higher, he instead gains a +1 bonus to his Muscle score.
• At 4th level, any opponents seeing and hearing a Samurai using his kiai shout ability must make immediate Morale Checks.

Special Disadvantages:

• Samurai are only found in the eastern Realms. A Samurai must have Aglarond, Thay, or Impiltur as his Homeland.
• The Samurai is (supposed to be) absolutely devoted to his lord. He is expected instantly to obey every one of his lord’s orders, up to and including killing himself or those he loves. If he refuses to obey an order, he is dishonored and is expected to kill himself. (If he does not, he becomes ronin.) The DM should make sure that the samurai is acutely aware of this by having his lord occasionally issue orders which are difficult for him to keep. This doesn’t always have to be “Kill all of your allies,” but the lord can issue orders which interfere with the samurai’s personal goals and remind him that he is subservient to his lord.
• The Ronin has his own great difficulty: He earns experience points at half the normal rate. When the DM awards the characters their experience, the ronin receives only half what he would if he were still a samurai. This particular hindrance goes away when the character once again swears allegiance to a lord and becomes a samurai (of course, once he does so, he is again subject to the whims of his lord).

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