L5R Villians

AKARU NO O NI, THE WEB LORD

GENSO NO O NI, DARK WARRIOR

The threat of oni is constant for those Crab scouts who venture into the Shadowlands, for the demons roam the entire realm, destroying any living creature that does not bear the touch of Jigoku. Akaru no Oni, at least, is one threat the Hiruma know they need not fear so long as they pay careful attention to their surroundings. The massive and ponderous Akaru no Oni are not very mobile, and prefer to lair in rocky recesses, ideally caves or rocky valleys. Ultimately, any confi ned space will suffi ce so long as the Akaru can expect prey to pass through the area on at least a semi-regular basis. Akaru no Oni vaguely resemble spiders, with long segmented  bodies and dozens of jointed legs. legs. Their appearance might make them seem closer to centipedes but for the vast webs they spin in their lairs. They are actually somewhat passive in their hunting methods, preferring to allow prey t o become trapped in their webs and waiting for it to grow weak before feasting on it. However, when an Akaru no Oni is hungry or angered it has considerable physical power at its command, and will not hesitate to destroy anything that threatens it. AIR 3 EARTH 4 FIRE 1 WATER 4

The Genso no Oni is a legend within the Shadowlands, famous even to the Lost and feared by other oni that seem more  powerful. It is painfully well well known to the Crab, although although few samurai of the other clans have ever heard of it. The demon is said to be stronger than the mightiest Hida, faster than the swiftest Kakita, and more fearsome than the fi ercest Matsu. Indeed, perhaps the most terrible thing about t his unique oni is that it resembles and understands the samurai it lives to kill. Genso no Oni is a consummate warrior, fl awless in technique and skill. It lives for the challenge of facing worthy foes and destroying them utterly. This demon is by no means honorable, but some of its behavior may well deceive others into believing it is, which only helps defeat such fools in  battle. The beast is an eight foot tall humanoid, incredibly well muscled, with dark red skin. It dresses in the manner of a traveling warrior, wearing a hakama a nd carrying a daisho, even though the creature could never possibly hope to pass for human. It is devoid of hair and has a mouth that seems to split the entire head in two, fi lled to the brim with needle-like teeth. It has two short horns atop its head, too short to serve as weapons but deadly in appearance just the same. AIR 3 E ARTH 4 FIRE 4 WATER 4

- - AGILITY 4 -

 Initiative: 4k3 Attack: Claws 6k4 (Simple), Bite Bite 4k4 (Complex)  Damage: 4k4 (Claws), (Claws), 6k4 (Bite)  Armor TN: 20  Reduction: 5 Wounds: 25: +5; 50: +10; 75: Dead Taint Rank: 5 Special Abilities: c Spinnerets: Akaru no Oni can project powerful webs of a thick adhesive substance to ensnare and confi ne its enemies. This is a Complex Action with an attack roll of 6k4. If the webs hit they do not infl ict damage, but the target is automatically Entangled. The TN to escape the Entangled condition is 20. Web Traps: Akaru no Oni spreads its webs where prey might come into contact with it by accident. Anyone who stumbles into the oni’s webs is immediately Entangled, with a TN of 20 to escape.

REFLEXES 5 - - -

 Initiative: 5k5 Attacks: Obsidian katana 9k4 (Simple), talons 8k4 (Simple)  Damage: 7k2 (obsidian (obsidian katana), 4k4 (talons)  Armor TN: 30  Reduction: 4 Wounds: 40: +5; 80: +10; +10; 120: +15; 160: +20; 200: Out; 240: Dead Taint Rank: 7 Skills: Athletics 3, Defense 4, Hunting 7, Iaijutsu 5, Jiujutsu 4, Kenjutsu 5, Stealth 4 Special Abilities: c  Fear 3 c Obsidian Daisho: Genso no Oni carries a massive daisho fashioned from obsidian. The blades seem to be  spiritually connected to the creature and do do not survive its death –  death –  if  if one or both are stolen before death, the Genso no Oni will hunt down the thief to the ends of the earth. Due to its intimate connection to its swords, Genso no Oni may not be targeted with the Disarm  Maneuver. c Taunts: Genso no Oni is incredibly gifted at perceiving the faults and regrets of the human soul, and berates those who face him with the most horrifi c slurs and insults imaginable, mocking faith, human decency, and the Code of Bushido. During the fi rst Round of a skirmish against Genso no Oni, all Rokugani opponents must make a Contested Willpower Roll against it. If they fail, their highest Basic School Rank is effectively reduced by 1 for the duration of the skirmish. This denies them access to the appropriate School Technique and also makes them effectively one School Rank/Insight  Rank lower for purposes of Initiative, spell casting, and any other such game effects.

K AMU NO O NI, THE K ILLING MAW The horrifying Kamu no Oni are among the most immediately recognizable of all oni, and so terrible an impression have they made on those rare instances when they have appeared in the Empire that their shape can be identifi ed by almost any educated samurai. Kamu no Oni is a nearly mindless killing machine with no obvious sensory organs, yet it is an extremely capable hunter and killer. Atop a powerfully-built torso, rippling with muscles, the demon’s shoulders and chest split into a massive maw, wide enough to bite even the largest Crab samurai in half. Those i ndividuals unfortunate enough to be caught by a Kamu no Oni are torn to pieces by its massive arms and then rapidly devoured. A full-grown Kamu no Oni can slaughter and consume an entire Crab patrol in less than two minutes. AIR 2 EARTH 5 FIRE 2 WATER 3 REFLEXES 3 - AGILITY 4 STRENGTH 6

 Initiative: 3k3 Attack: Bite 4k4 (Complex), Claw 7k4 (Simple)  Damage: 7k5 (bite), 6k3 (claw)  Armor TN: 25  Reduction: 5 Wounds: 50: +5; 75: +10; 100: +15; 125: +20; 150: Dead Taint Rank: 6 Skills: Intimidation (Control) 7, Temptation 8 Special Abilities: c  Devour: If a Kamu no Oni controls a Grapple, it may infl ict bit e damage on the Grappled opponent instead of its claw damage. If this damage reduces an opponent to the Out Wound Level, he has been swallowed and will die in the Reactions Stage of the following  Round unless he is somehow pulled free or the Kamu no Oni is killed. c  Fear 4 c  Invulnerable

Nagah The Naga race as a whole and their accursed kin known as the Naar Teban are both found in the pages of the L5R 4th Edition sourcebook Enemies of the Empire. The feral abominations found within the former Ivory Kingdoms, however, are an entirely new form of Naga with which the Rokugani have no experience. These cr eatures are sometimes referred to as Nagah, the term by which they were known in Ivindi, the language of the Ivory Kingdoms. They are a constant threat for those who venture too far  beyond the established frontier of explored territory in the Colonies. Although nothing is known of the Nagah’s culture (assuming such even exists and that they are not simply feral monstrosities), they do seem to have a connection to the Naga race, and when the entity called the Dark  Naga appears in the Empire it is able to control the Nagah despite the vast distance between the Colonies and the Empire. There are a few investigators who even suspect  Nagah were somehow responsible for the murder of the first Imperial Governor at the Dark Naga’s behest. Air : 3 Earth: 4 Fire: 1 Water : 4 Akasha: 1 Reflexes: 4 Agility : 5 Caste: 0.0  Infamy: 3.3 School/Rank: None Skills: Athletics (Climbing, Swimming) 6, Hunting (Survival) 5, Jiujutsu 6, Stealth (Ambush, Sneaking) 7  Advantages: Prehensile Tail, Strength of the Earth (2 levels), Way of the Land (Colonies)  Disadvantages: Compulsion (kill humans), Wrath of the  Kami (Air) Special Abilities: cc Camouflage: A Nagah’s coloration and body blend in perfectly with the canopy of trees in which they often hide. Nagah gain one Free Raise on all Stealth rolls made in the jungle. cc Natural Attacks: A Nagah may make claw attacks as a Simple Action (attack 6k5, damage 5k4), or a  bite attack as a Complex Action (attack 5k5, damage 4k4). cc Swift 2

Sample Nezumi The following section presents some generic Nezumi NPCs for use in a campaign. These can be easily altered on the fl y to suit whatever purposes the GM may require. Several major  Nezumi archetypes are listed here for ease of use.

TYPICAL NEZUMI (R ATLING) WARRIOR (R ANK 2) AIR 2 EARTH 3 FIRE 3 WATER 3 NAME 3 REFLEXES 3 - AGILITY 4 - -

 Initiative: 5k3 Attack: Yari 7k4 (Complex)  Damage: 5k2 Armor TN: 25 (Light Armor)  Reduction: 3 (Light  Armor) Wounds: Normal human-type Wound Ranks School/Rank: Nezumi Warrior 2  Niche: 3.5 Skills: Athletics 4, Defense 4, Jiujutsu 3, Hunting (Survival) 3, Lore: Shadowlands 3, Spears 3, Stealth 2.  Ratling Physical Abilities (these include Swift 2 and Taint  Immunity)  Advantages: c Strength of the Earth

TYPICAL NEZUMI (R ATLING) SHAMAN (R ANK 3) AIR 3 EARTH 3 FIRE 3 WATER 2 NAME 5 REFLEXES 4 WILLPOWER 4 - PERCEPTION 3 -

 Initiative: 7k4 Attack: Named Yari 7k3 (Complex)  Damage: 5k2+6 Armor TN: 30 (Light Armor)  Reduction: 3 (Light  Armor) Wounds: Normal human-type Wound Ranks. School/Rank: Nezumi Shaman 3  Niche: 5.0 Skills: Defense 4, Hunting 2, Lore: Shadowlands 5, Lore: Spirit Realms (Yume-do) 5, Meditation 5, Perform: Ne zumi  Dance 2, Spears 4, Stealth 3. Spells: Bend Name, Dream Walk, Mend Name, Named Weapon,  Burn Name, Conjure Named Weapon, Seek Name, Find  Name, Trade Name.  Ratling Physical Abilities (these include Swift 2 and Taint  Immunity)  Advantages: c Clear Thinker c Namebound.

TYPICAL NEZUMI (R ATLING) R EMEMBERER (R ANK 3) AIR 3 EARTH 3 FIRE 3 WATER 3 NAME 4

TYPICAL NEZUMI BERSERKER (CHITATCHIKKAN) (I NSIGHT R ANK 5) AIR 2 EARTH 4 FIRE 4 WATER 4 NAME 4 REFLEXES 5 - AGILITY 6 STRENGTH 5 -

 Initiative: 10k5 Attack: Yari 10k8 (Simple)  Damage: 7k2 Armor TN: 40 (Heavy Armor)  Reduction: 5 (Heavy  Armor) Wounds: Normal human-type Wound Ranks School/Rank: Nezumi Warrior 3/Chitatchikkan 2  Niche: 4.5 Skills: Athletics 7, Defense 7, Jiujutsu 6, Hunting (Survival) 5, Lore: Shadowlands 6, Spears 8, Stealth 5.  Ratling Physical Abilities (these include Swift 2 and Taint  Immunity)  Advantages: c  Large c Strength of the Earth

TYPICAL NEZUMI (R ATLING) SCROUNGER (R ANK 3) AIR 4 EARTH 2 FIRE 3 WATER 3 NAME 2 - - AGILITY 5 - -

 Initiative: 7k4 Attack: Aiguchi 8k5 (Complex)  Damage: 4k1 Armor TN: 28 (Ashigaru Armor)  Reduction: 1 (Ashigaru  Armor) Wounds: Normal human-type Wound Ranks. School/Rank: Nezumi Scrounger 3  Niche: 3.0 Skills: Athletics 4, Defense 5, Jiujutsu 3, Hunting 5, Investigation 4, Knives 5, Lore: Shadowlands 4, Stealth (Sneaking) 6, Sleight of Hand 6.  Ratling Physical Abilities (these include Swift 2 and Taint  Immunity)  Advantages: c Crafty c Silent

AWARENESS 4 - - - -

 Initiative: 6k3 Attack: Knife 7k3 (Complex)  Damage: 4k1 Armor TN: 20  Reduction: None Wounds: Normal human-type Wound Ranks. School/Rank: Nezumi Rememberer 3  Niche: 4.5 Skills: Athletics 3, Defense 2, Hunting 2, Knives 4, Lore: Shadowlands 4, Lore: Nezumi Culture 5, Lore: Nezumi History 5, Meditation 4, Perform: Storytelling 5, Stealth 3. Usable Memory Sticks: Warrior’s Stick (Knife), Swimmer’s Stick, Poison Stick, Berserker Stick (Knife), Dream Stick, Wisdom Stick, Food Stick.  Ratling Physical Abilities (these include Swift 2 and Taint  Immunity)  Advantages: c Clear Thinker c  Precise Memory.  Disadvantages: c Small

Creatures of Shadow LESSER SHADOWSPAWN The Nothing employs the Lesser Shadowspawn as spies, assassins, and saboteurs, releasing them to their feral nature as vicious combatants when the time is right. They lack the ability to simulate specifi c individuals or to maintain human form for long periods of time, and often hide their malleable forms beneath dark clothing and masks  –  hence their close association with the ninja myth. If they are wounded, they  bleed black smoke, and when killed they collapse and unravel into incoherent shadow and drifting smoke. AIR 2 EARTH 4 FIRE 2 WATER 3 REFLEXES 3 - AGILITY 3 STRENGTH 4

 Initiative: 4k3 Attack: Claws 4k3 (Complex) or Weapon 4k3 (Complex)  Damage: 3k2 or by weapon  Armor TN: 20  Reduction: 6 (0 against crystal) Wounds: 64: Dead Skills: Acting 1, Sincerity (Deceit) 1, Stealth 3 Special Abilities: c  Fear 2 (when revealed as a Shadowspawn). c Swift 1. c Cohesion of Shadow: A Lesser Shadowspawn does not  feel pain and thus does not suffer Wound penalties.  It continues to function at full strength until reduced to Dead. c  Lesser Invulnerability: Lesser Shadowspawn take half damage (rounded down) from non-crystal weapons and from non-Void spells and other magical effects not specifi cally intended to target the Nothing and its minions. Crystal weapons and Void spells affect them normally. c Mental Resistance: Lesser Shadowspawn are immune to all Fear effects and to all spells that create illusions or infl uence the mind or thoughts. c Shadow Powers: A Lesser Shadowspawn has all of the  powers and drawbacks of Shadow Rank 5 except for  shapeshifting. It can shapeshift to a lesser degree and assume the identity of any generic person, such as a typical servant, eta, low-ranking bushi, or similar, as a Complex Action. Its ability is not suffi cient for it to assume a convincing copy of any recognizable individual. Contact with crystal or with light shone through crystal will reveal its true form. If it attacks, its true form is also revealed.

GREATER SHADOWSPAWN In general, a Greater Shadowspawn in its true form is not much different from the Lesser type, appearing as a generalized humanoid shape with a featureless yet somehow mocking face. The difference becomes apparent when the Greater Shadowspawn uses its Shapeshifting ability, since it can assume a convincing rendition of both its own former identity as well as of any person it has been able to closely observe. This alone makes the Greater Shadowspawn a dangerous opponent. However, its menace is dramatically increased by the fact it is also a cunning and intelligent being, quite capable of adapting its behavior to suit the circumstances. In fact, Greater Shadowspawn are capable of convincingly impersonating other individuals for indefi nite periods, making them ideal as spies and as agents for sowing mistrust and confusion among hapless humans. These creatures have been called by many names through the history of Rokugan  –  legends speaking of “Ninja Shapeshifters” and “Ninja Mimics” are usually referring to the activities of Greater Shadowspawn.

AIR 3 EARTH 5 FIRE 3 WATER 4 REFLEXES 4 - AGILITY 4 STRENGTH 5

 Initiative: 6k4 Attack: Claws 6k4 (Simple) or any weapon 6k4 (Complex)  Damage: Claws 5k2 or by weapon  Armor TN: 25  Reduction: 10 (0 against crystal) Wounds: 96: Dead Skills: Acting 4, Sincerity (Deceit) 4, Stealth 5 Special Abilities: c  Fear 3 (when revealed as a Shadowspawn). c Swift 1. c Cohesion of Shadow: A Greater Shadowspawn does not feel pain and thus does not suffer Wound penalties.  It continues to function at full strength until reduced to Dead.