Employ Terrible Thunder

For some samurai, there is something they prize above honor: victory. For them, honor is meaningless if their lord is dead or their family lost. Any method that achieves victory is worthy, even if the Emperor themselves has outlawed it.

Activation: As a Movement and Support action, you may make a TN 4 Skulduggery check and expend 1 charge of blasting powder (see page 90) to place it in your environment at a target position at range 0–1 of you. You must forfeit honor equal to equal to half your honor rank (rounded up) to use this technique.

Effects: If you succeed, you set the blasting powder to explode at the end of the next round. Some or all of the following occur based on the scene type:

(Mass Battle) Any nearby cohort (such as those in the same zone, if using the rules for zones on page 118) is caught by the blast, and that army receives 5 attrition and 5 panic, plus 1 per bonus success.

(Mass Battle) If you placed the blasting powder inside of a fortification (see the Fortifications sidebar on page 276 of the core rulebook), reduce its difficulty value by 1, plus 1 per bonus success.

(Mass Battle) One cohort leader affected by the explosion suffers the Immobilized and Lightly Wounded conditions.

(Other Scene) Each character at range 0–2 of the target position suffers 10 physical damage plus 1 per bonus success, suffers the Dazed condition, and receives 5 strife.

(Other Scene) Items at range 0–2 of the target position gain the Damaged item quality.

(Other Scene) Any structure (such as a bridge, house, or wall) at range 0–1 of the target position gains the Damaged quality.

New Opportunities

: Any item or structure damaged by this effect gains the Destroyed quality instead.

: The area at range 0–2 of the position of the explosion gains the Dangerous and Obscuring terrain qualities, and flammable objects in the area are set ablaze.

+: The blasting powder does not detonate for one additional round per spent this way.