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Samurai were professional warriors of the noble class who adhered to the code of bushido.[5] In Shou Lung, the equivalent warriors were simply called "knights".[8]

Culture[]

Samurai were fierce warriors bound by a strict code of honor, and service to their daimyo. They did not fear death, as samurai saw death to be the ultimate honor and service to their daimyo. A samurais life was consumed by striving to achieve perfection, as it was a reflection of their honor.[7]

Most samurai were human or spirit folk. Some korobokuru have successfully trained to become samurai.[7] Both females and males could become samurai.[9]

The samurais weapon of choice was the katana. Samurai formed a deep bond with their katana, who saw it as an extension of their honor and the honor of their clan or family. The katana was often a family heirloom, passed down through the generations. It was a serious insult to just touch the scabbard of a samurai's katana without their explicit permission, drawing the blade even more so. A samurai who lost their katana was disgraced and shamed, and became obsessed with recovering the weapon, if possible.[10]

Organization[]

Samurai were part of their daimyo's household. The first part of samurai training was learning to connect and focus their ki.[7]

Jito

A samurai who was advanced in skill and also served their daimyo well were offered the position of jito. As jito, the samurai was given responsibility over a part of their daimyos territory. A jito protected their daimyos property, settled disputes among the civilians, suppressed rebellion and collected taxes on behalf of their daimyo, keeping one-quarter of the taxes for themselves. A jito had command over four samurai and up to ten bushi.[7]

Shugo

A jito who served well was offered the position of shugo. A shugo was in charge of an entire province, administering justice, providing protection and supervising the jito within the province.[7]

Ronin

A ronin was a master-less samurai. A ronin could be a samurai who has dishonored them-self, failed their daimyo, or voluntarily left the service of their daimyo.[7]

Abilities[]

Samurai were highly skilled martial warriors. They were experts at both archery and swordsmanship. Their weapons of choice in melee combat were the katana and wakizashi[11], and they chose the daikyu for ranged combat.[7] Some samurai, particularly female samurai, favored the naginata.[9] A samurai was also an expert horse-rider.[7]

In addition to their martial prowess, samurai were skilled artists. Calligraphy, music, poetry and painting were among the most common art forms that samurai were known to be accomplished in.[7]

Samurai eventually became immune to fear and advanced samurai were capable of naturally projecting an aura of fear. The strongest samurai were able to project ki into their voice, creating a deafening and powerful shout which stunned a target.[7]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

  1. The v.3.5 sourcebook Complete Warrior also presented a version of the samurai class, which was more general in application, but more specific in provided class abilities. This version of the samurai was proficient in heavy armor. The "Oriental Adventures Update" article in Dragon #318 describes this as an alternative, not as a replacement, to the class as described in Oriental Adventures.

Appearances[]

Adventures

Video Games

Card Games

Further Reading[]

References[]

  1. James Wyatt (October 2001). Oriental Adventures (3rd edition). (Wizards of the Coast), p. 17. ISBN 0-7869-2015-7.
  2. Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 2. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
  3. Jeremy Crawford, Mike Mearls, Robert J. Schwalb, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Matt Sernett (November 2017). Xanathar's Guide to Everything. Edited by Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 31. ISBN 978-0-7869-6612-7.
  4. Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (2014). Player's Handbook 5th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 70–72. ISBN 978-0-7869-6560-1.
  5. 5.0 5.1 James Wyatt (October 2001). Oriental Adventures (3rd edition). (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 20–22. ISBN 0-7869-2015-7.
  6. James Wyatt (April 2004). “Oriental Adventures Update: Eastern Flavor”. In Matthew Sernett ed. Dragon #318 (Paizo Publishing, LLC), p. 34.
  7. 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 Gary Gygax, David Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval (1985). Oriental Adventures. (TSR, Inc), pp. 14, 21–22. ISBN 0-8803-8099-3.
  8. Curtis Smith, Rick Swan (May 1990). Ronin Challenge. Edited by Jon Pickens, Steve Winter. (TSR, Inc.), p. 2. ISBN 0-88038-749-1.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Aaron Allston (1995). The Complete Ninja's Handbook. Edited by Barbara G. Young. (TSR, Inc), p. 69. ISBN 0786901594.
  10. Aaron Allston (1995). The Complete Ninja's Handbook. Edited by Barbara G. Young. (TSR, Inc), p. 67. ISBN 0786901594.
  11. Gary Gygax, David Cook, and François Marcela-Froideval (1985). Oriental Adventures. (TSR, Inc), p. 48. ISBN 0-8803-8099-3.

Connections[]

Core Classes
ArdentArtificerAvengerBarbarianBardBattlemindBushiClericDivine soulDruidFighterMonkPaladinPsionRangerRogueRunepriestSamuraiSeekerShamanSorcererSpellscarredSwordmageWarlockWarlordWizard
5th Edition Subclasses


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