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Well thats why I'll suggest your suggestions. And the roleplay aspect won't make it unbalanced,a t elast not in my campagns. All DMs involved love roleplaying, and... yeah, in my group that's not going to make a DM screw you over. Certainly not me when I DM. Again, in MY campaigns. Thanks.

Thanks. I'll check it out. Certainly better then me crapping out what I did in 30 minutes.

Nov 29, 2012 -- 8:24PM, LordOfMordor wrote:

you should make a custom armor(called yoroi) it would be like lamellar armor it would be like platemail. also make a katana it would be 1d12 damage and two-handed the class it's self should get a light-warhorse becuse the Samurai had horses and they perfected there art of useing the katana they would end most fights when they drew there swords and the bow(they perfected useing it too) would be called the yumi bow it would do 1d10 damage why the high damage for all the weapons becuse they when they wern't fighting they were training they were the best warriors of their time.

...I can only hope you're joking. 

Do your reserch.

Nov 29, 2012 -- 11:55PM, KColette wrote:

Nov 29, 2012 -- 9:07PM, Eisenritter wrote:

...I can only hope you're joking. 

I hope he's joking as well.


To the OP: Contrary to popular opinion, samurai used more than just a sword. They also used polearms comparable to the glaive as well as a longbow. They used whatever weapon best suited the battle at hand, much like, say, a fighter.

Their swords - the wakizashi, katana, etc. - were well suited for cutting through flesh, but not metal armor, because there was a scarcity of metal which meant they didn't have to cut through metal armor. I'd actually compare the swords to the scimitar and falchion, personally: High crit weapons. Though that is just personal preference on my part. There isn't any reason to make special weapons for the samurai, because the existing equipment list has perfect equivalents already. Why bother doing more work than you have to?

I agree with a previous statement in the thread that their armor is closer to scale mail. Scale mail doesn't have to be metal and the armor they wore was about as restrictive as scale mail is mechanically.

So, now that I've covered that the samurai used more than just a sword, I think it's safe to say iaijutsu should be removed. Further more, the moral code issues should be strictly roleplaying suggestions that do not provide mechanical benefit. We all know how the 3e Paladin's alignment restrictions tended to work out, so let's not see the class become 3e Paladin 2.0. If you REALLY want to give mechanical benefits for following the code, I suggest a power bonus to Diplomacy as long as the code is followed, to represent the respect gained for adhering to such a strict set of rules. Though perhaps consider having a lower number of rules, so the player doesn't have to double check the list constantly.

Honestly, I'd suggest making the Samurai - the vision you're currently going for, anyway - similar to an Avenger in heavy armor: A striker that can off-tank, with an Oath of Enmity-like effect for Samurai's Challenge instead of marking. This will replace iaijutsu with something beneficial to ALL of the Samurai's weapons, thus making it stand out from the Fighter.

That is, unless you're making them based off anime 'samurai', in which case put them in cloth armor and make them pure melee martial strikers.

And yes, I know you've said you'll ignore anyone that draws comparisons between the Samurai and the Fighter, but comparisons are inevitable, considering you currently have a Martial Defender with a focus on melee combat. While you have the right to ignore anything I've said, I feel it would be a poor choice to ignore it just because I've made comparisons to the fighter.

I know that the Samurai used polearms like the naginata if you want that give it 1d12 damage and a +8 attack bounes becuse it was a fast sharp weapon. but it would be hard to keep track of all the weapons I know alot about Samurai. Here is a list of weapons.

• Japanese swords are the weapons that have come to be synonymous with the samurai. Ancient Japanese swords from the Nara period (Chokutō) featured a straight blade, by the late 900s curved tachi appeared, followed by the uchigatana and ultimately the katana. Smaller commonly known companion swords are the wakizashi and the tantō.^[33] Wearing a long sword (katana) or (tachi) together with a smaller sword such as a wakizashi or tantō became the symbol of the samurai, this combination of swords is referred to as a daishō (literally "big and small"). During the Edo period only samurai were allowed to wear a daisho.

• The yumi (longbow), reflected in the art of kyūjutsu (lit. the skill of the bow) was a major weapon of the Japanese military. Its usage declined with the introduction of the tanegashima (Japanese matchlock) during the Sengoku period, but the skill was still practiced at least for sport.^[34] The yumi, an asymmetric composite bow made from bamboo, wood, rattan and leather, had an effective range of 50 meters (about 164 feet) or 100 meters (328 feet) if accuracy was not an issue. On foot, it was usually used behind a tate (手盾), a large, mobile wooden shield, but the yumi could also be used from horseback because of its asymmetric shape. The practice of shooting from horseback became a Shinto ceremony known as yabusame(流鏑馬).^[35]

• Pole weapons including the yari and naginata were commonly used by the samurai. The yari (Japanese spear) displaced the naginata from the battlefield as personal bravery became less of a factor and battles became more organized around massed, inexpensive foot troops (ashigaru).^{[citation needed]} A charge, mounted or dismounted, was also more effective when using a spear rather than a sword, as it offered better than even odds against a samurai using a sword. In the Battle of Shizugatake where Shibata Katsuie was defeated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, then known as Hashiba Hideyoshi, seven samurai who came to be known as the "Seven Spears of Shizugatake" (賤ヶ岳七本槍) played a crucial role in the victory.^[36]

• Tanegashima (Japanese matchlock) were introduced to Japan in the 1543 through Portuguese trade. Tanegashima were produced on a large scale by Japanese gunsmiths, enabling warlords to raise and train armies from masses of peasants. The new weapons were highly effective, their ease of use and deadly effectiveness led to the tanegashima becoming the weapon of choice over the yumi (bow). By the end of the 16th century, there were more firearms in Japan than in many European nations. Tanegashima—employed en masse, largely by ashigaru peasant foot troops—were responsible for a change in military tactics that eventually led to establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate (Edo period) and an end to civil war. Production of tanegashima declined sharply as there was no need for massive amounts of firearms. During the Edo period, tanegashima were stored away, and used mainly for hunting and target practice. Foreign intervention in the 1800s renewed interest in firearms—but the tanegashima was outdated by then, and various samurai factions purchased more modern firearms from European sources.

          Still want to keep track of them? why not also throw in the kanobo club it would do 1d10 damage and be two-handed. remember I put the big damage becuse the Samuria trained every day. there stats would be well rounded becuse they spent alot of time training there mind as well
Note:I HATE anime. 
Note 2: I spent alot of time studying actual Samurai history. also REAL samurai armor is like lamalar armor it also uses plates it is not at all like scalemail
Note 3:You would have to make custom stuff for the samuria becuse they were unique.
Note 4:they made an art of how they drew there sword. 

Nov 30, 2012 -- 7:14AM, KColette wrote:

Nov 30, 2012 -- 7:04AM, LordOfMordor wrote:

Still want to keep track of them? why not also throw in the kanobo club it would do 1d10 damage and be two-handed. remember I put the big damage becuse the Samuria trained every day. there stats would be well rounded becuse they spent alot of time training there mind as well
Note:I HATE anime. 
Note 2: I spent alot of time studying actual Samurai history. also REAL samurai armor is like lamalar armor it also uses plates it is not at all like scalemail
Note 3:You would have to make custom stuff for the samuria becuse they were unique.

My point is that you don't have to keep track of most of those weapons, because mechanical statistics for them already exist, under a different name.

So you're advocating giving them unique, high damage weapons and better stats because they 'train every day'? Would you give the same bonuses to a Fighter that trains every day? Or a rogue? If you wouldn't, then you don't understand game balance. Why should Samurais get all these benefits when ALL PCs are assumed to be well trained for combat?

Furthermore, you're completely missing my point about armor. I said, mechanically, a samurai's armor would be equivilant to scale mail. It isn't as durable as Plate, but not as restrictive as Chain, hence lower AC than Plate but also lower penalties.

And Samurai were not unique. Soldiers trained to use multiple weapons, soldiers that train frequently and soldiers with a strict code of conduct are not unique. But even as I type this, I realize nothing I say will sway your opinion.

first of all stop being a troll. second of all I did my studying. did you? I also put high damage becuse there all two-handed and yes they are unique they made the best sword in history.
P.S. Stop being a troll. also fighters and rouges would spend a day or two in the inn a week the Samuria only trained perfecting there art the only warriors in history that can compar to the samuria are the spartans(you started your training as a sparten when you turned 7. no I did not base this off the movie 300.). give samuria a disadvantage have it if they lose an encounter there done never to play agin.