General
Each shugenja can attempt to cast a number of spells
of each element equal to the Ring Rank of that element. Even if the spell
fails, it still counts toward the total number of spells that can be cast.
For every 8 hours of restful sleep (or 2 hours of mediation) the shugenja
regains enough energy to recast one spell from each of the four rings.
Casting
Roll
Roll <Ring> + <School Rank> keep <Ring>
Spell
Damage
Most spells have a Damage Rating (DR). When the spell
is cast, the shugenja will roll the number of dice equal to the <DR>
+ <School Rank> keeping the number of dice equal to the <DR>.
Raises
A shugenja can increase the difficulty of the spell
(raise the TN) by +5 to enhance/modify the effects of a spell. There is
no limit to the number of raises that a shugenja can declare, but all most
be declared before the dice are rolled. Failure to roll at least the new
TN results in the spell failing. A shugenja who spends twice the casting
time gets one free raise (that does not change the TN) to use when casting
the spell. Each spell description lists some, but not all, suggestions
for using raises.
Innate
Abilities
All shugenja must read the spell from a scroll in
order to cast it, unless they have the spell as an innate ability. Once
a spell has been mastered in this manner, the shugenja no longer needs
the scroll, but if he uses the scroll anyway, the spell is even easier
to cast and he is given a free raise. Before a spell can be taken as an
innate ability, the shugenja's <Ring Rang> + <School Rank> must be
at least the <Mastery Level> of the spell. In addition it will cost
the shugenja 3 XP.
New
Spells
(new-4/6/98)
As a shugenja advances to a new school rank, they
will be shown three new spells by their teacher. The teacher will only
make available those spells that have a mastery level less than or equal
to the <shugenja's ring> + <school rank>. This is the only time that
a shugenja will not need to roll to determine if the spell can be learned.
Learning
New Spells (House Rule)
(updated-4/6/98)
First the shugenja must find a spell. This can be
done one of three ways. First, the shugenja finds a scroll that has been
forgotten somewhere. Second, the shugenja takes the scroll from the corpse
of a dead shugenja. Third, the shugenja is given a scroll from another
shugenja. The first option is the only safe course for the shugenja, as
taking from the dead results in a loss of honor (and glory), and sharing
scrolls between shugenja is frowned upon by the schools. It is traitorous
if the shugenja are not from the same school.
Once the shugenja has a scroll, it must be translated. For scrolls willingly given to the shugenja, it is assumed that they have already been translated, but in all other case it will need to be deciphered before any attempt to learn the spell will succeed. The success chance is based on the lowest of Calligraphy, Shugenja Lore or Clan lore (for the appropriate clan) plus the shugenja's intelligence trait. If the shugenja is missing any one of these skill then the TN is raised by +10 points. The base TN chance of translating the scroll is <Mastery Level> times 5. Success means that the scroll can be read by the shugenja. Failure means that it is not. Once the shugenja increases his rank in any of the skills or his school, he can attempt to decipher the scroll once again. Each attempt to decipher a scroll takes one full day.
Once he can read the scroll, then he needs to attempt to learn it. The shugenja must make a casting roll (<Ring Rank> + <School Rank> keep <Ring Rank>) against the Mastery Level of the spell times five. If successful then he learns the spell, otherwise the scroll is not clear to him, and he is unable to use it. When he reaches a new Ring Rank or School Rank, he may attempt to relearn the spell. Each additional attempt earns a +5 cumulative bonus to succeed. If the shugenja is instructed by a teacher who already understands the spell in question, then he receives a bonus of +5 times the school rank of the teacher toward the chance of success.
Each attempt to learn the spell is equal to the
actual casting time of the spell. In essence, the shugenja reads the scroll
and gives it a shot. If it works, it always will. If not, he must prepare
himself by learning more about the way of the shugenja before he can learn
from this scroll. Failure is tied the specific scroll, not the spell. Consider
the directions on each scroll as being slightly different. Where one might
be unclear, the other might be perfect for the shugenja to learn from.