Choose+your+clan

After rolling ability scores, this decision lays the groundwork that will become your character. Each clan has a number of Samurai Families that are united under it's banner and some families are made of members of non-human races. The Kakita Family is an Elven Family for example. The Clan you choose also determines the schools available to your character and thus how your character is trained. A basic overview of the Clans is as follows:

The Crab Clan The Crab Clan were charged with the defense of the Empire. To the south of the Empire is a dark and twisted land known as the Shadowlands. From this evil place all manner of abomination spews forth: undead, goblins, oni, ogres, and any number of other vile creatures. The Crab are faced with the task of combating these nightmares on a daily basis. Life is hard for the Crab, as each day can easily be their last. Should the claw of an oni not take their life, the risk of exposure to the Shadowlands taint is a constant threat, waiting to turn them against their comrades. Because of their hard life, the Crab Clan have taken on an attitude of rough pragmatism. Victory is more important than always following the tenets of Bushido, for if the Crab fall, so falls the Empire. This is not to say the Crab are without honor, far from it. They simply know their duty is important enough to have to make the hard choices.

The Crane Clan The Crane Clan were given the task of developing the culture and art of the Empire. The Crane took their duty to heart, determined to take every part of Rokugani culture to perfection and to set an example for the other Clans. They view the sword of a duelist and the words of a courtier as forms of art. And their art can be deadly in either form. The Crane have cultivated their political strength into something of legend. There are very few Crane who are not owed favors by someone, and this has helped the Clan grow a considerable fortune. The Crane curry favor with the Emperor, whoever it may be at the time, and use that favor to keep their enemies at bay. For who would dare attack a Clan the Emperor has favor with? While this political accumen has gained the Crane much, it has also created enemies among those who are jealous, or find pretty words to be outside the realm of the samurai.

The Dragon Clan The Dragon Clan were not given a task by Hantei I. Instead, his brother Togashi, chose to withdraw his people to the mountains, his reasons known only to Hantei. There they stayed for centuries, interacting with the outside world as little as possible. In their mountains the Dragon studied the ways of the elements. Their meditations led them to greater understanding of the universe and the powers that control it. They tuned their bodies into lethal fighting machines, yet avoided violence whenever possible. Their strange tattoos, inked with the blood of Togashi himself, grants them supernatural powers. They speak in riddles, answer questions with questions, and are as inscrutable as the creatures from whom they take their name.

The Lion The Lion Clan are the right hand of the Emperor. Their founder, Akodo, pledged his life and the life of his people to the defense of the Emperor and his sacred bloodline. They are the Emperor’s army, his fist, and his law. The Lion truly became one with their duty. Each Lion lives for war. They study it daily, from the basic techniques of weaponry to the tactics of large scale war. A Lion tactician is truly to be feared by an enemy general, for whatever tactic you may have planned, the Lion has already developed a dozen ways to defeat it. The Lion live Bushido. Many would say the Lion define Bushido. For the Lion there is no greater honor than to serve the divine Emperor, and no greater glory than to die in his name.

The Mantis The Mantis Clan are unique among the Great Clans of Rokugan, for they were not in existence at the founding of the Empire. In fact, the Mantis are still newly a Great Clan, and their position has not entirely been accepted by the others of the Empire, though few would say so openly. The Mantis were once a minor clan, one of many that serve as vassals to the Great Clans. However, a daimyo of the Mantis known as Yoritomo had larger dreams. The Mantis have the largest fleet of kobune in the Empire, as they live and operate from a chain of islands off the eastern coast of the Empire. Their considerable trading power has garnered them vast stores of koku, which they used to bulk up their armies with ronin. Yoritomo forged allliances with the Wasp and the Centipede, two other minor clans, and fought in the great war against Fu Leng. For his determination, Emperor Toturi I awarded the Mantis the title of Great Clan.

The Phoenix The Phoenix are the scholars of Rokugan. While the Dragon seek to understand the Universe, the Phoenix seek to unlock it. Their incredible devotion to knowledge has made the Phoenix the most powerful magic users in the Empire. Their shugenja, or priests, can call the power of the elements to bear like no other. One shugenja of the Phoenix can easily equal a squad of samurai. But for all their power, the Phoenix are highly pacifistic, seeing war as a last resort. Since the dawn of the Empire, the knowledge of the Phoenix has found new ways to banish darkness, but even in their power the Phoenix are oft-tempted. The Phoenix Clan is often courted by darker powers, and not all Phoenix are strong enough to resist. But the Clan, like its namesake, renews itself in the end, burning away corruption and arrogance. The Phoenix inevitably rises anew from the ashes, a symbol of light and hope in the Empire. Unlike other Clans, the Phoenix are not truly led by a Champion, but by the Elemental Masters, a council of the five most powerful shugenja in the land.

The Scorpion When the Kami first established their place in the Empire, they held a tournament. Hantei was victorious and claimed the title of Emperor. His brother Bayushi however was easily defeated. The other siblings thought him weak for his loss. This was exactly what Bayushi wished. The Scorpion are a Clan of deceit and misdirection, blackmail and lies. The Scorpion will use any tactic to discredit his enemies, draw them into dishonor, and use their shame to destroy them. However, they do it as part of their duty. Hantei I charged his brother Bayushi with protecting the Empire from the threats the other Clans cannot see: conspiracies, cults, plots against the throne. The Scorpion do their duty with ruthless efficiency. Their shadow war against the unseen forces of evil have afforded them the ability to spy on the other Clans, and use their knowledge as weapon against potential rivals. If you carry a shameful secret, there is likely at least one Scorpion who already knows it.

The Unicorn The Empire of Rokugan has largely been a xenophobic people. Outsiders are rarely allowed entry into the Empire. However, Hantei I knew that to rule effectively, the Emperor would need knowledge of the peoples and potential threats outside the borders of his Empire. He charged his sister Shinjo with exploring the world beyond. Shinjo took her people, the Ki-Rin Clan, and rode off to explore. Nearly 800 years later, a group of warriors mounted on war horses the like Rokugan had never seen came thundering back to the Empire. After storming over both Crab and Lion defenses, these people calling themselves the Unicorn Clan said they had returned to claim their ancestral lands. After much debate, it was determined that these were the children of Shinjo, and the lands of the Ki-Rin were now the Unicorn. The Unicorn are still very much outsiders. Their travels changed them, incorporating foreign words, food, habits, and even speech. Most of the Empire find them to be barbarians unworthy of honor, but their massive cavalry forces earn them much respect.

Also among the Empire of Rokugan are the three Imperial Families and the various minor clans such as the Badger, the Sparrow, the Dragonfly, etc.