Clan of Origin: Crane
Dojo: Iron Crane Dojo

Description: The first Daidoji, the former Doji Hayaku, was honored by his mother with the duty of protecting the body and spirit of his brothers among the Doji. As the newly-christened Daidoji Haiku aged, he passed on his kenjutsu Techniques to his sons and daughters, who passed them on to their sons and daughters until, over the generations, the Daidoji Swordsman School was formed.

Daidoji Swordsmen are among Rokugan’s craftiest fighters, concentrating on defensive maneuvers and a style of fighting that induces their opponents to defeat themselves. They make excellent bodyguards, although these abilities also can be turned toward the “darker” side of life, and many Daidoji Swordsmen work as spies. Posing as bodyguards, Daidoji Swordsmen are shadows at court, subtly gathering information while protecting the diplomats.

The nature of the Daidoji School relies on an opponent to take an offensive approach. When facing an enemy willing to hang back and force a Daidoji Swordsman to come to him, the Swordsman is out of his element and his reactive Techniques are less effective.

Basic Curriculum: Bodyguard, Kenjutsu
Knacks: Exploit Weakness (Daidoji), First Strike (Kenjutsu), Interpose, Lunge (Kenjutsu), Wall of Steel (Kenjutsu)

Revised Swordsman Knack: Wall of Steel. Your weapon is an ever-present blocking device, and you use it like a tortoise uses its shell. If you have not attacked yet this Round, then each Rank of this Knack increases your TN to be hit by two. You cannot use your Parry Knack with the relevant weapon for Active Defenses in any Phase where you benefit from this Knack.

New Swordsman Knack: First Strike. When you have not yet drawn your weapon and wish to attack an enemy, you can declare a First Strike (using a single Action to draw and attack with your weapon). You roll Finesse + First Strike, and must take a number of Raises equal to your enemy’s Finesse in order for your First Strike to be successful. If you are successful, he cannot avoid the attack using any Active Defense. The Raises taken on this roll add Unkept Dice to your damage roll as usual. In Rokugan, this is the Knack typically used for Iaijutsu duels.

New Swordsman Knack: Interpose. Interposing is the act of putting your own body in between someone else and an attack. When you use this Knack to protect someone else, your TN to be hit is reduced by ten (minimum five), and your client may use your Rank in Interpose as their Defense Knack for calculating their TN to be hit.

Interpose may also be used for an Active Defense to protect someone else. Use your Action Dice for this, not the Action Dice of the person you are protecting. Roll Wits + Interpose for this Active Defense attempt. If you succeed, you take the damage from the Attack instead of its intended victim. If you receive one or more Dramatic Wounds from using Interpose for an Active Defense, you gain a Drama Die.

This is the same as the Interpose Knack found in the Bodyguard Skill, but it is considered a Basic Knack for Daidoji Swordsmen.

Apprentice: A Daidoji Swordsman is trained to assess a situation and act without hesitation, but he must still protect himself and his charge at all times. The Swordsman’s TN to be hit is increased by twice his Mastery Level at all times, even when he is benefitting from his Wall of Steel Knack. The TN to be hit of any character using the Swordsman’s Interpose Knack to determine his Passive Defense is likewise increased by twice the Swordsman’s Mastery Level.

Daidoji Swordsmen train at the Iron Crane Dojo, where they are taught to be versatile so that the Crane may depend upon them no matter the circumstances. Daidoji Swordsmen are entitled to one extra Specialty Knack, increasing their allotment to four.

Journeyman: A Daidoji Journeyman has learned to use his opponent’s armor against him, forcing the opponent to move against the constrictions of tightly laced do-maru and restricted peripheral vision. An opponent attacking either the Journeyman or his charge must subtract his Armor Bonus from all of his attack rolls.

Master: The honor of the Crane is a Daidoji Swordsman’s only concern, and the strength of his honor keeps him fighting when others would have fallen. The Master may add his Reputation Dice as Unkept Dice to any Wound Checks he attempts. As always, spent Reputation Dice are gained back at the end of every Act.

Furthermore, having spent much of his career as a Swordsman protecting his charges, the Daidoji Master has gained insights into doing so that other Swordsmen lack. The Master receives a free Rank in his Interpose Knack. This should increase his Rank in the Knack to a six. If for some reason it does not, the Master may increase it from a five to a six later by spending 25 XP.