The Imperial Archives (RPG book)

The Imperial Archives (book cover)

The Imperial Archives is a source book for the Legend of the Five Rings roleplaying game. It is sub-titled “A Rokugani Miscellany”, a collection of all the miscellaneous topics and writings that could not fit into any of the earlier hard-copy books. Here you will find discussions of Shourido and the Susumu family, of the Shogun and his role in the Empire, of courtier characters and how they can be played, of the gaijin people known as the Yobanjin, of the religious role of the Emperor and the Imperial Bureaucracy, the religious and cultural roles of shugenja, a list of hypothetical Minor Clans, and an assortment of famous NPCs from the history of Rokugan. Here you will also find game mechanics that mesh with the topics of these articles, as well as the stats for the Oni Lords, and a comprehensive set of errata and corrections for the entire 4th Edition RPG line.

Credits

• Written by: Rob Hobart, Marie Brennan, Robert Denton, Maxime Lemaire, Chris Hand, Ryan Reese
• Edited by: Robert Hobart
• Art Director: Shawn Carman
• Cover Design: Robert Denton
• Cover Art: Gong Studios
• Layout: Robert Denton
• Original Graphic Design: Edge Entertainment
• Artists: Steve Argyle, Drew Baker, Stefano Baldo, Jason Behnke, Hannah Boving, Cristian Chihaia, Miguel Coimbra, Ed Cox, John Donahue, Jason Engle, Shen Fei, Richard Garcia, Jeff Hill, David Horne, Aurelien Hubert, Llyn Hunter, Veronica V. Jones, Wen Juinn, Jason Juta, Kez Laczin, April Lee, Damien Mammoliti, Roberto Marchesi, Patrick McEvoy, Marcel Mercado, Jonathan Moore, Jake Murray, Amy Nagi, Luis NCT, Rebekah Norris, William O’Connor, Chris Ostrowski, Micheal Phillippi, Chris Pritchard, Ramon Puasa Jr., Beth Sobel, Florian Stitz, Gong Studios, Gemma Tegelaers, Isuardi Therianto, Mario Mibisono, Robin Wouters, Sam Yang
• Production Manager: David Lepore
• Senior Brand Manager: Todd Rowland
• Chief Executive Officer: John Zinser
• Head Playtester: Brian Bates
• Playtesters: Team 1 (Dave Smith, Patrick Chen, Aien Elmi, Jason Kang, Ki Chang Kim, Roger Liang, Arthur Nguyen); Team 4 (Becca Hobart, Kevin Blake, Todd Stites, Daniel Briscoe); Team 6 (Timar Long, Erykah Fasset, Chad Kirby, Mike Brodu, Maxime Lemaire, Ray Rupp); Team 7 (Jason Shafer, Nathan Shafer, Matt Strout, Liza Strout, Joe White, Terry Moore, Eric Newlin); Team 8 (Edward Reynolds, Brebouillet Mathieu, David Whitney, Richard Whitney, Stuart Biggs, Robert Knight); Team 8b (Michael Hill, Shane Pheeney, Chaedy Ritherdon, Tarl Cowly); Team 8c (Thomas Atwood, Ryan Castilla, Henry Joiner, Brandon Woodmen); Team 17 (Tom Lewis, Jamie Kipp, Gavin O’Hearn, Shawn MacLean, John Taylor); Team 18 (Dave Laderoute, Mike Clark, Chris Talarico, Chris Masdea, Lee Vollum, Richard Hewitt, Bill Hrenchuck); Team 19 (Charles Caswell, Vincent Stantion, Eddie Sweeden, Chuck Sweeden, Justin Cross, Fox Whitworth); Team 20 (Matt Tyler, Timothy Hill, Stephen Mumford, Matthew Linkswiler, Paul Casagrande, Robert Zapf); Team 21 (James Freeman-Harris, Sarah Koz, David Wright, James Mosingo); Team 22 (Scott Shepard, Dawn Dalton, Andrew Doud, Justin Davidson, Jon Huskey, Trista Lillis); Team 23 (James Wagner, Kevin Pason, Ryan Bataglia, Chris Foster, Jim Friedman, Jason Whiston, Phil Jenicek, Dan Sulin, Izzy Lombardi-Friedman); Team 24 (Tony Love, Kassandra Mullin, Brian Tieken, Kimberly Wajer-Scott, Phillip Scott, Nicholas Love, Jerry Fleenor, Patrick Williams)

Table of Contents

Introduction (page 4)

• Fiction with Tamori Yuina and the monk Tsuchi, releasing a restless female yorei who had kidnapped a young girl
• Welcome to the Imperial Archives!

The Way of Shourido (page 6)

Susumu Yanada

• Excerpt from “The Difference in Our Honor,” by Susumu Genjo
• From the Collected Letters of Asako Kureshiko, Scholar of Bushido
• From the Personal Journal of Mirumoto Saori, formerly of House Doji, written late in her life
• The Mechanics of Two Paths
  • Voices of the Spider: The Susumu Family - the Susumu Courtier school

The Shogunate (page 12)

• The Origins of the Shogun
• The Rise of the Modern Shogun
• The Shogunate in the Age of Iweko
• The Greatest General
  • How Does One Become Shogun?
  • The Shogun's Forces and the Emerald Champion
• The Duties of Office
  • Limits to the Shogun's Powers
• The Bakufu: The Shogun's Retinue
  • The Second General
  • The Master Percussionist
  • The Shogun's Retainers

Courtier Characters in L5R (page 22)

Utaku Kimiono

• The Life of a Courtier
• Building a Courtier Character
• Handling Social Rolls
• Elements of the Political Life
  • Political Position
  • Money
  • Social Wight
• Keep Swimming
• The Etiquette of Names

The Emperor as a Religious Figure (page 35)

Emperor Hantei

• The Emperor as Leader of the People's Faith
  • Fiction with Yuhei, a young peasant who came to Otosan Uchi to see the Empress Hantei Yugozohime in her first Chrysanthemum Festival.
  • After the Hantei Dynasty: The Toturi Emperors' Religious Role
  • The Religious Role of the Iweko Dynasty
• The Imperial Bureaucracy and Religious Authority
• Imperial Religious Authority and Clan Shugenja
• Imperial Religious Authority and the Brotherhood of Shinsei
• Special Authority Figures

Shugenja: Conduits of the Spirit Realms (page 46)

• Shugenja and Faith
• Practical Magic: Usage of Spell and Ritual
• The Other Worlds
• Shugenja-themed Story Hooks

Lost Minor Clans (page 54)

Shinden Shorai

• The Bee Clan
• The Raven Clan
• The Shark Clan
• The Salamander Clan
• The Firefly Clan
• The Tanuki Clan

The Yobanjin (page 68)

Mountains of Exile

• History
• Yobanjin Culture
• Relationship with Rokugan
• Lands of the Yobanjin
  • The Mountains
  • The Plateaus
  • The Rivers
  • The City of Zhongshi
  • The Coast
  • The Steppe
• The Major Yobanjin Tribes
  • Daughters of the Flame
  • Mountain Wind Tribe
  • Sons of the Mountain Tribe
  • The Tribe of the Sky
  • Children of the Frozen Peaks
  • The Small River Tribe
  • Carriers of the Fire
• The Yobanjin Wyrms

NPCs from Rokugan's History (page 84)

• Lady Doji
• Doji Nio
• Kakita
• Hatsuko
• Hida Hiroto

The Oni Lords (page 92)

Kyoso no Oni

• Akuma no Oni
• Kyoso no Oni
• The Maw
• Shikibu no Oni
• Tsuburu no Oni

Appendix (page 96)

• New Mechanics
  • School: Susumu Courtier
  • Advantage: Student of Shourido
  • School: Scorpion Maskmaker
  • Advantage: Well-Connected
  • Disadvantage: Debt
• Yobanjin Weapons and Skills
  • Yobanjin Ring-Sword
  • Oyumi (Crossbow)
• Yobanjin Paths/Schools
  • Yobanjin Warrior
  • Yobanjin Shaman
• Optional Rules: Shugenja and Religion
• Official 4th Edition Errata and Clarifications