Death

Player characters are not ordinary people. They are, after all, the main characters of the story the group has gathered to tell together. Often, death at a particular juncture is not the most interesting outcome for one of these characters. It is a classic trope for a samurai to survive defeat and bear the shame of that loss while seeking to restore their honor or find some other solace besides the Code of Bushidō.

However, Legend of the Five Rings is also meant to evoke a setting where characters stand to lose their lives in the pursuit of their duties and passions. Thus, the rules presented in this chapter are calibrated to a particular balance of dramatic tension, story flow, and fun for everyone at the table.

Range 0 | The character suffers the Disoriented condition.

Range 1 | The character suffers 4 physical damage and the Disoriented condition.

Range 2 | The character suffers 8 physical damage and the Prone and Disoriented conditions.

Range 3 | The character suffers 12 physical damage and the Prone and Unconscious conditions.

Range 4 | The character suffers a critical strike with severity 10 and the Prone and Unconscious conditions.

Range 5 | The character suffers a critical strike with severity 16 and the Prone and Unconscious conditions.

Range 6 | The character suffers a critical strike with severity 18 and the Prone and Unconscious conditions.

Suffering Critical Strikes

Unspecified Deadliness

The following guidelines should be used when a source does not provide a deadliness.

A critical strike has a severity value, which is dictated by the method by which it was inflicted. When a character suffers a critical strike after failing to defend against damage, the severity is the deadliness of the source of the damage. When an effect inflicts a critical strike directly, it usually specifies the severity (otherwise, see Unspecified Deadliness).

Invocations and Mahō: Deadliness equal to the value of the ring used for the Attack action check plus kept symbols on that check.

Kihō: 8.

Extreme Temperature (Fire, Frostbite, etc.): 5, but each repeated exposure increases by +2.

When a character suffers a critical strike, they must make a TN 1 Fitness check to mitigate its effects (using a ring of their choice in a narrative scene, or the ring their stance dictates in a conflict scene).

Falls: The damage of a fall has a deadliness of 7. Very long falls also inflict critical strikes directly.

If the character succeeds, they reduce the severity by 1 plus their bonus successes on the check (to a minimum of 0). Then, consult Table 6–6: Results of Critical Strikes by Severity and apply the listed effects to the character.

Sufficiently Heavy Objects: Deadliness equal to three times the object’s silhouette.

Table 6–6: Results of Critical Strikes by Severity

SEVERITY | DESCRIPTION | MECHANICAL EFFECT

0–2

Close Call: The hit slices the character’s hair or clothes but fails to draw blood.

If the character is wearing armor, the armor gains the Damaged quality (see page 240).

3–4

Flesh Wound: The hit sinks into the character’s flesh, slicing shallowly or creating a vicious contusion.

The character suffers the Lightly Wounded condition for the ring they used for their check to resist. If the attack had the Razor-Edged quality, the character also suffers the Bleeding condition.

5–6

Debilitating Gash: The hit is agonizing, cutting a deep furrow in the flesh or splitting muscle and fracturing bone. The character will likely need time to recover fully.

The character suffers the Severely Wounded condition for the ring they used they used for their check to resist. If the attack had the Razor-Edged quality, the character also suffers the Bleeding condition.

7–8

Permanent Injury: The strike leaves the character permanently injured, bearing a scar that will impact them the rest of their life.

The character suffers the Bleeding condition, then chooses one scar of the following disadvantages for the ring they used for their check to resist: Air (Maimed Visage or Nerve Damage), Earth (Damaged Organ or Fractured Spine), Fire (Lost Fingers or Maimed Arm), Water (Lost Eye or Lost Foot), Void (Lost Memories).

9–11

Maiming Blow: The character is gravely hurt by the strike and might never fully recover from it.

The character suffers the Bleeding condition, then chooses one of the following scar disadvantages for the ring they used for their check to resist: Air (Deafness or Muteness), Earth (Damaged Heart or Damaged Organ), Fire (Lost Arm or Lost Hand), Water (Blindness or Lost Leg), Void (Cognitive Lapses)

12–13 | Agonizing Death: The blow is mortal, and the character knows it.

The character suffers the Severely Wounded condition for the ring they used for their check to resist, as well as the Bleeding and Dying (3 rounds) conditions.

14–15

Swift Death: The character lives just long enough to realize their demise.

The character suffers the Severely Wounded condition for the ring they used for their check to resist, as well as the Bleeding and Dying (1 round) conditions.

16+ | Instant Death: The character dies without even a last word. | The character dies immediately.