Clan of Origin: Firefly
Dojo: Firefly Keep Dojo

Description: It is rare for a young Family (or a young Clan) to boast its own signature Swordsman School, but that is the case with the Firefly Clan’s Hotaru Family. Formed only a few years ago by Imperial decree, the Clan would be struggling to expand its role beyond operating the signal fires between Otosan Uchi and the Phoenix lands had its founder, Hotaru Jainu (formerly Shinjo Jainu) had a ronin ally named Oshio, an expert Swordsman who had been experimenting with his own Techniques for many years. The newly-christened Hotaru Oshio formalized his teachings into a formal Swordsman School.

Training as a Hotaru Swordsman consists of two parts: physical challenges (long distance runs, climbing cliff faces, lifting heavy weights, and the like) and observation exercises ranging from recalling details of a scene after viewing it for thirty seconds to identifying a person’s mood merely by examining his face. Both types of exercises are intended to hone the Swordsman’s skill with his katana, albeit in different ways. Quick reactions, unending study of one’s opponents, and occasional feats of strength are the hallmarks of the Hotaru School.

A Hotaru Swordsman’s rigorous examination of his foes can be turned against him by a wily opponent. A deliberate muscle twitch, stutter step, or simple blink can force the Swordsman to commit to a defense or a line of attack dictated by the opponent’s movement, which may not reflect the opponent’s actual intention.

Basic Curriculum: Athlete, Kenjutsu
Knacks: Corps-á-Corps, Exploit Weakness (Hotaru), Lunge (Kenjutsu), Wall of Steel (Kenjutsu), Yield

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.

Revised Swordsman Knack: Yield. Yield consists of a nimble dodge followed up immediately with a body-to-body attack. You first attempt an Active Defense using Footwork against the incoming attack, and then, if the Active Defense is successful, make a Corps-á-Corps attack of your own against the person who just attacked you. When performing a Yield, you receive half the dice from your Footwork Knack (rounded down) for your Active Defense, and half the dice from your Corps-á-Corps Knack (rounded down) for your counterattack. For every Rank in Yield, you may add one Kept Die (+1k1) to either the Active Defense attempt or the Corps-á-Corps attack. These dice are added after you’ve halved the appropriate Knacks.

Apprentice: While a number of Swordsman Schools in Rokugan focus on awareness of one’s surroundings, including the opponent, the Hotaru School’s focus in entirely on the opponent, looking for any twitch, breath, or shift in weight that might telegraph an attack. Hotaru Swordsmen receive a free Rank in the Cold Read Knack. If a student does not have access to the Cold Read Knack in one of his Skills, he receives it as a Specialty Knack which does not count against his limit of three Specialty Knacks. In addition, students may add their Rank in Cold Read as a bonus to their TN to be hit.

The Hotaru Swordsman School is taught out of a small dojo located on the ground floor of a watchtower at the border of Firefly lands. Observation and awareness of an enemy’s techniques are key components of a student’s training, and all students learn to identify many major martial styles from across the Empire. Any Exploit Weakness Knack in which the student has at least one Rank is considered one Rank higher for purposes of determining the student’s bonuses from that Knack.

Journeyman: Hotaru Journeymen study their foes carefully, permitting them to react to an opening in an opponent’s defenses at a moment’s notice without abandoning their own defensive stance. A Journeyman may continue to benefit from his Wall of Steel Knack until he makes his second attack of any given Round.

Master: A Hotaru Master is never unprepared. At the beginning of every Scene, he receives four free Raises that he may use with any Knack from the Skills in his Basic Curriculum. These free Raises go away at the end of the Scene if they are not used.