L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Standard Target Numbers Void Point Uses

TN Difficulty Gain a bonus of +1k1 to one Skill, Trait, Ring, or Spell Casting Roll
None Mundane To increase a Skill from 0 to 1 for the Round.
5 Very Easy Reduce Wounds suffered by 10.
10 Easy Increase Armor TN by 10 for one Round.
15 Average Switch Initiative with one willing target for the rest of the skirmish.
20 Moderate Increase his Initiative Score by 10 for the rest of the skirmish.
25 Difficult Increase the Damage of a Katana by +1k1
30 Very Hard
40 Heroic Maneuvers
60 Impossible Called Shot Requires Raises to strike specific
body parts (1 for a limb, 2 for a
Stances hand/foot. 3 for the head, 4 for
Full Cannot take any Simple or Complex small part (eye, ear, etc.)).
Attack action other than to attack, and can Disarm Inflicts 2k1 damage and forces a
Contested Strength Roll. If the target
only move towards his enemies. Cannot
loses, he drops the weapon. This
be used to deliver ranged attacks. requires 3 Raises.
Attacks gain a +2k1 bonus that round Extra Attack By making 5 Raises on an attack roll,
but Armor TN is reduced by 10. Move the character may immediately make
actions increase the travelled a second attack roll after the first
distance by extra 5 feet. Cannot be used attack resolves.
while mounted. Feint Requires 2 Raises on an attack roll. If
Attack Standard stance. No bonus and no successful, half the amount by which
penalties. the attack exceeded the target's
Center No action is taken this round. On the next Armor TN is added to the damage roll
round, the samurai gains a +1k1 plus his (max of attacker's Insight Rank x5).
Void Ring bonus to one roll. The samurai Guard A Simple Action that cannot be taken
also adds 10 to his Initiative for that round in the Full Attack Stance. When using
only. Guard, choose one person within 5' of
Defense Add the Air Ring plus Defense Skill rank to you. and their Armor TN is increased
Armor TN while in this stance. Cannot by 10. Your Armor TN is decreased by
attack directly but can cast spells (even 5 while using Guard.
attack spells). Increased For every Raise made on an attack
Full Roll Defense / Reflexes and add half to Damage roll, you gain a bonus of + 1K0 to the
Defense Armor TN. Counts as a Complex action for damage roll for that attack.
the round. Knockdown Requires 2 or 4 Raises (for 2 or 4
legged opponents) on an attack roll. If
Armor TN successful, the attack deals normal
damage and the target is rendered
5 + (Reflexes x5) plus any bonus from armor and Prone (see Conditions).
other special abilities.
Dice Conversion
Initiative Additional rolled dice become kept dice at a ratio of one kept die
Insight Rank/Reflexes and add any per two additional rolled dice. If both rolled and kept dice already
equal ten, then each additional die of both types converts to a
relevant modifiers. bonus of +2 to the total of the roll.

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Conditional Modifiers
Blinded A character who has been struck blind or who suffers from the Blind Disadvantage suffers a
penalty of -3k3 to all ranged attack rolls and -1k1 to melee attack rolls. A blind character's base
Armor TN is equal to his Reflexes Trait plus 5 (armor adds bonuses as normal). The character's
Water Ring is considered two ranks lower for the purpose of determining how far he can move
as part of a Move Action. Any attempt at a Simple Move Action requires an Athletics/Agility roll
(TN 20) or the character is knocked Prone.
Dazed A character who has been dazed suffers a penalty of -3k0 to all actions. Dazed characters can
only use the Defense and Full Defense Stances and cannot perform an laijutsu duel. The
character may recover from this Status Effect by making a successful Earth Ring Roll versus a
TN of 20 during the Reaction Stage. The target may attempt this roll once each Round, and the
TN decreases by 5 each time he fails the roll.
Entangled A character who has become entangled can take no Actions other than attempting to break
free. This is a Strength roll against a TN determined by the GM based on the nature of the
entanglement; it is a Contested Roll if someone else is actively trying to keep the character
entangled. Opponents may initiate a grapple with an entangled character without an attack
roll.
Fasting A character who goes without food and water for 24 hours loses the ability to regain Void
Points from rest. although they can still be regained from meditation. After two days of fasting,
a character suffers a +5 TN penalty to all his Skill rolls, physical Trait rolls, and Spell Casting
Rolls until he gets food and drink. This increases by +5 for each additional day of fasting. After a
number of days of fasting equal to his Stamina, he begins losing 2k 1 Wounds per day until he
gets food and drink or dies.
Fatigued A character who goes without rest for 24 hours suffers a +5 TN penalty to all his Skill rolls,
physical Trait rolls, and Spell Casting Rolls until he rests. This penalty increases by an additional
+5 for every day that passes without rest. After a number of days equal to the character's
Stamina Trait, he must begin making Willpower Trait Rolls at TN 20 every two hours to avoid
falling asleep. A fatigued character may not take the Full Attack Stance.
Grappled A character who is participating in a grapple is considered grappled. Characters who are
grappled are much easier to hit with attacks, and have their Armor TN reduced to 5 plus any
bonuses from armor they are wearing.
Mounted A character sitting atop a horse or other mount, or who is on higher ground (at least a four foot
/Higher height advantage), gains a bonus of +1k0 on attack rolls against un-mounted/lower characters.
A mounted character may not use the Full Attack Stance.
Prone A prone character is lying flat on his back, side, or stomach, and cannot move, attack, or defend
himself to full effect. A prone character immediately suffers a -10 penalty to his Armor TN
against melee attacks. This penalty lasts until he stands up. He cannot use Move Actions, and
may only adopt the Defense or Attack Stances. He cannot attack with large weapons, and
suffers a -2kO penalty to attacks with medium and small weapons. It requires a Simple Action
to stand up from the prone position.
Stunned A character who is stunned may take no actions. Such a character has an Armor TN equal to 5
plus any bonuses from armor worn. The character may recover from this Status Effect by
making a successful Earth Ring Roll at TN 20 during the Reaction Stage. If he fails this roll, the
status ends at the end of the next Combat Round.

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Wounds Move Actions

Wound Level Penalties 2 3 4 5 6 7 Free action:
Healthy +0 10 15 20 25 30 35 Water x5 in feet
Nicked +3 14 21 28 35 42 49 Water x1,5 in meters
Grazed +5 18 27 36 45 54 63 Simple:
Hurt +10 22 33 44 55 66 77 Water x10 in feet
Injured +15 26 39 52 65 78 91 Water x3 in meters
Crippled +20 30 45 60 75 90 105
increase complexity of Move Actions Terrain
Down +40 34 51 68 85 102 119
can only perform Free actions (not Move) and must spend Void to do so.
Basic: City streets, plains, sparse
Out - 38 57 76 95 114 133 forest, etc. No change.
Immobile, unconscious and likely dying. Cannot take any action. Moderate: Tall grass, foot hills,
beaches, etc. Water is one lower
Grappling for Movement (min. 1).
A samurai initiates grapple with a Jiujutsu / Agility roll versus Difficult: Mountains, dense
Armor TN. If successful, target is grappled until his turn, when he forest, hip deep water, etc. Water
can attempt to control the grapple. Gaining control is a contested is two lower for Movement
Jiujutsu / Strength roll. Winner has control until the other’s turn. (min. 1).
Controller can:
Hit: Deal unarmed (Strength k1) damage as a Complex action. Fear
Throw: Target is thrown and becomes prone within 5 feet. Target Fear effects have ranks, from 1 to
is no longer in the grapple. Complex action. 10. To resist, roll Willpower
Break: Ends the grapple as a Simple action. against a TN of 5 + (5x the Fear
Pass: As a Free Action, the character may do nothing, choosing to rank). Samurai can add their
maintain the grapple and retain control. Honor rank to the roll.
If the roll fails, the samurai suffers
Spell Casting penalty equal to the Fear rank in
Roll School Rank / spell’s element Ring against a TN of 5 plus (5x dice to all rolls. If the roll fails by
spell’s mastery level). 15 or more, the samurai either
Max spells of certain element per day is equal to the Shugenja’s flees or cowers helplessly.
Ring in question.
If roll fails, spell slot is wasted.
Casting time takes as many Complex actions as the spell’s mastery
level.
Spell is cast on the final round of spell casting.

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

High Skills
Acting (Awareness) Gender, Clan, Profession
Artisan (Awareness) Macro Bonsai, Gardening, Ikebana (flower arranging), Origami (paper folding),
Painting, Poetry, Sculpture, and Tattooing
Calligraphy (Intelligence) Cipher, High Rokugani
Courtier (Awareness) Gossip, Manipulation, Rhetoric
Divination (Intelligence) Astrology, Kawaru
Etiquette (Awareness) Bureaucracy, Courtesy, Conversation
Games (Various) Fortunes & Winds (Awareness), Go (Intelligence), Kemari (Agility), Letters
(Awareness), Sadane (Awareness), Shogi (Intelligence)
Investigation (Perception) Interrogation, Notice, Search
Lore (Intelligence) Macro Anatomy*, Architecture, Bushido, Great Clan (choose one), Elements, Gaijin
Culture, Ghosts, Heraldry, History, Maho*, Nature, Nonhuman Culture,
Omens, Shadowlands*, Shugenja, Spirit Realms, Theology, Underworld*, War
Medicine (Intelligence) Antidotes, Disease, Herbalism, Non-Humans, Wound Treatment
Meditation (Void) Fasting, Void Recovery
Perform (Various) Macro Biwa (Agility), Dance (Agility), Drums (Agility), Flute (Agility), Oratory
(Awareness), Puppeteer (Agility), Samisen (Agility), Song (Awareness),
Storytelling (Awareness)
Sincerity (Awareness) Honesty, Deceit*
Spellcraft (Intelligence) Importune, Spell Research
Tea Ceremony (Void)

Bugei Skills
Athletics (Strength) Climbing, Running, Swimming, Throwing
Battle (Perception) Mass Combat, Skirmish
Defense (Reflexes)
Horsemanship (Agility) Gaijin Riding Horse, Rokugani Pony, Utaku Steed
Hunting (Perception) Survival, Tracking, Trailblazing
Jiujutsu (Agility) Grappling, Improvised Weapons, Martial Arts

Weapon Skills
Iaijutsu (Reflexes) Assessment, Focus
Chain Weapons (Agility) Kusarigama, Kyoketsu-shogi, Manrikikusari
Heavy Weapons (Agility) Dai Tsuchi, Masakari, Ono, Tetsubo
Kenjutsu (Agility) Katana, Ninja-to, No-dachi, Parangu, Scimitar, Wakizashi
Knives (Agility) Aiguchi, Jitte, Kama, Sai, Tanto
Kyujutsu (Reflexes) Dai-kyu, Han-kyu, Yumi
Ninjutsu (Agility or Blowgun, Shuriken, Tsubute
Reflexes)
Polearms (Agility) Bisento, Nagamaki, Naginata, Sasumata, Sodegarami
Spears (Agility) Mai Chong, Kumade, Lance, Nage-yari, Yari
Staves (Agility) Bo, Jo, Machi-kanshisha, Nunchaku, Sang Kauw, Tonfa
War Fan (Agility)

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Merchant Skills
Animal Handling (Awareness)
Commerce (Intelligence)
Craft (Various) Macro
Engineering (Intelligence)
Sailing (Agility or Intelligence)
By animal (Dogs, Horses, and Falcons are the most common)
Appraisal, Mathematics
Armorsmithing#, Blacksmithing, Bowyer#, Brewing, Carpentry,
Cartography, Cobbling, Cooking, Farming, Fishing, Masonry, Mining,
Poison*, Pottery, Shipbuilding, Tailoring, Weaponsmithing#, Weaving,
etc.
Construction, Siege
Knot-work, Navigation

Low Skills
Forgery (Agility) By type of item being forged (Artwork, Documents, Personal Seals, etc.)
Intimidation (Awareness) Bullying, Control, Torture
Sleight of Hand (Agility) Conceal, Escape, Pick Pocket, Prestidigitation
Stealth (Agility) Ambush, Shadowing, Sneaking, Spell Casting
Temptation (Awareness) Bribery, Seduction
Overview Dice Rolls
Ring Ring k Ring
Trait Trait k Trait
Resist Fear Willpower Roll + Honor Rank TN 5 + (Fear Rank x5); Failure: Rolls -(Fear Rank) k 0; fail by
>=15 is cowered
Co-op Leader Skill Roll + sum of helper Skill Ranks Or Skill Roll + Leader Skill Rank
Cumulative Multiple Skill Rolls to TN, minimum TN for failure
The Honor Roll Reroll a failed roll per session with (Honor Rank) k (Honor Rank); -10 honor points on fail
Skill (Trait + Skill) k (Trait)
Unskilled Trait k Trait, no raises allowed or explodes
Casting (Ring + Rank) k (Ring) TN (Mastery x5+5)
Importune Spell craft (Importune) TN 15 +5xMastery level
Research Spell craft (Research) TN 10 +10x Mastery level
Interrupted Willpower Roll TN 10, 5 + Wounds
Disrupted Willpower Roll TN 15 or 20 + 5xMastery
Discerning Honor Lore: Bushido / Awareness TN 30
Recognize Lore: Heraldry / Intelligence TN 50 – Target’s Glory
Melee Attack (Agility + Skill) k (Agility)
Ranged Attack (Reflexes + Skill) k (Reflexes), -1K0 per 50’ beyond max range, -10 if used in Melee
Melee Damage (Strength) + (Weapon DR) k (Weapon DR)
Ranged Damage Compare Strength of character against Weapon Strength if equal or higher than use
(Weapon Strength) + (Arrow DR) k (Arrow DR) otherwise (Character Strength) + (Arrow DR)
k (Arrow DR)
Unarmed Damage (Strength) k (1)

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Iaijutsu Dueling
An Iaijutsu duel takes place over three Combat Rounds (Assessment, Focus, and Strike).
Initiative Both Duelists roll their initiative and then assume the Center Stance on the initiative of the
faster Duelist. The Center Stance bonus (1k1+Void) will be available on both Round Two (for
the Focus roll) and on Round Three for either the Strike roll or a damage roll, as the player
chooses.
Round One Iaijutsu (Assessment) / Awareness roll against a TN of 10 plus their opponent’s Insight Rank
Assessment x 5. If successful, the samurai learns one of these facts, plus one more per each Raise:
•Opponent’s Void
•Opponent’s Reflexes
•Opponent’s Iaijutsu Skill
•Opponent’s Iaijutsu emphases
•Opponent’s current Void points available
•Opponent’s current Wound level
If either beats the other’s roll by 10 or more, he gets +1k1 bonus on the Focus roll.
Round Two Both make a contested Iaijutsu (Focus) / Void roll. If one beats the other by 5 or more, he
Focus has earned the right of first strike. A Free Raise is earned for every additional 5 points the
other is beaten. If neither beats the other by at least 5, both strike at the same time.
Round Three Attack normally with Iaijutsu / Reflexes, using any Free Raise earned on previous stage. The
Strike second samurai may then strike after the first. If the duel was to the first blood, the second
samurai has lost. If the duel was to the death, the duel becomes a standard skirmish until
either one is dead. The act of striking counts as each character’s action for this round.

Gaining & Losing Glory

Acknowledgment Publicly acknowledged by someone of Status 7+, gain 1 rank
Blood Feud Avenging a feud gains Glory equal to opponent’s Status or Glory (lower)
Caught in a Lie Lose double the Glory gained by the act about which the samurai lied
Completing a Quest Gain Glory points = half the Glory Rank of one issuing the quest
Craftsmanship Gain one Glory Point per Raise made when creating an item
Defeat In battle (officer) or duel (duelist), lose opponent’s Glory
Duels Winning a fair duel earns 1/3 of opponent’s Status/Glory
Family Dishonor Lose one Glory rank if close relative commits an act worthy of seppuku
Gifts Gain Glory = Glory/Status of giver if giver is of higher Status
Idleness Lose 1 Glory per week if no Glory is gained
Indifference Being ignored, reduce Glory gains by 1, increase losses by 2
Immortality Inspiration for a work of art, gain Glory = Glory rank of most prominent admirer
Learning Gain one Glory rank when Insight rank is increased
Marriage Increase Glory of lower-Glory spouse to one less than higher-Glory spouse
Public Bragging After gaining Glory, add 1 point through bragging
Romance One point for public declaration of love (without identifying lover)
Skirmishes Gain one Glory point for defeating bandits, ronin, etc.
Status Gain Glory equal to Status gain
Stealing Credit Gain Glory equal to the event being usurped
Warfare Gain 3 points for surviving a battle, 6 if on the winning side

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Gaining & Losing Honor

Act 0 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10
Accepting a bribe 0 0 -3 -4 -7 -8
Accepting responsibility for superior’s shameful act 8 7 6 4 3 3
Acknowledging a superior opponent 5 4 4 2 2 0
Aiding a wounded enemy 9 8 6 6 5 3
Being an accomplice to a heinous crime -1 -4 -8 -12 -16 -20
Being an accomplice to a minor crime 0 -1 -4 -4 -8 -8
Breach of etiquette, blasphemous -1 -6 -10 -10 -16 -20
Breach of etiquette, major 0 -2 -2 -2 -6 -6
Breach of etiquette, minor 0 0 -1 -2 -2 -2
Disloyalty to lord, spouse, or superior 0 -2 -6 -10 -14 -18
Duped into performing a criminal act -1 -4 -8 -12 -16 -18
Duped into performing a disloyal act 0 -2 -4 -6 -10 -14
Duped into performing a foolish act 0 -2 -4 -4 -6 -8
Disobeying a lord’s command 0 -2 -2 -6 -6 -10
Enduring an insult to your ancestors 0 -2 -4 -4 -6 -8
Enduring an insult to yourself 2 2 2 0 0 0
Enduring an insult to your family or clan 0 0 -2 -2 -4 -4
Facing a superior foe in the name of your family 8 6 5 4 3 2
Fleeing from battle 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10
Following orders despite personal misgivings 6 4 0 0 -2 -4
Fulfilling a promise despite great personal cost 10 8 6 4 2 0
Giving a truthful report at your own expense 8 6 4 2 0 0
Lying to bolster your reputation 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10
Manipulate another into dishonorable behavior 0 -2 -4 -6 -8 -10
Politely ignoring another’s dishonorable behavior 3 2 0 0 -2 -2
Protecting clan/family/lord’s interest despite great risk 8 8 6 6 4 2
Showing kindness to one beneath your station 6 6 4 4 2 2
Showing sincere courtesy to enemies or rivals 9 7 5 2 0 0
Using a Low Skill 0 -1 -2 -3 -6 -9
Using false courtesy to gain advantage over an enemy 0 0 -2 -6 -10 -10

Optional Honor Roll Discerning Honor

Once per session, a samurai may re-roll a single
failed roll against the same TN. This time,
however, he rolls his Honor in dice and kept dice.
If the re-roll fails, he loses 10 points of Honor.
A samurai can find out the Honor rank of another
by making a Lore: Bushido / Awareness (TN 30).
Strength of Honor
Characters are allowed to add their Honor rank to
the result of all rolls to resist the uses of the
Intimidation Skill and the Temptation Skill, and to
resist Fear of any kind.

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Rokugani Etiquette
Person unknown Clan or Family name (C/F)
Person known Family name and Prename (F&P)

Ho to address people
Emperor F-tenno
Empress F-heika
Daimyo or admired person F-dono, F&P-dono
Person of higher station, formal situation F-sama, F&P-sama
Person of the same station C-san, F-san, F&P-san
Person of lower station, male child C-kun, F-kun, F&P-kun, P-kun
Children in general C-chan, F-chan, F&P-chan, P-chan
Teacher, master, doctor F-sensei, F&P-sensei, Sensei

To address someone with just his or her prename is reserved to close friends or family members.
The suffix kun may also be used to address women if the person who is addressing them is a man from the
same age or younger, a relative or a good friend. It may also be used by men to address a woman at a
comradely base.
The suffix chan may also be used to address a female classmate or a female friend.

Gift-giving
As a guest it is common to bring a present other occasions for gift-giving might be: wedding, gempukku,
promotion, to remember past times or just because the object reminds you of someone.
Examples for  a local specialty from your hometown (tea, Sake, sweets and similar long-lived
appropriate goods)
gifts  a decorative item made by a known craftsman or artist or self-made (origami,
hairpins, calligraphy, etc.)
 a legendary object (ancestral weapon, or similar)
 an object of personal value (the training-weapon from the time before the
gempukku, the fan used at the first court)
 a religious or philosophical object (a talisman bought at a famous temple, blessed
incense stick, a collection or selected works regarding the Tao of Shinsei)
 an object which adds to the collection of the presented
It is common to decline a present twice and offer a present trice to accept it at the third offer.

Other Etiquette Rules

Samurai also do not touch in public unless required to by circumstances (e.g. catching someone who is
falling, helping up a comrade on the battlefield, treating an injury, and so forth). To touch someone
without absolute need, and especially to touch someone in a formal public setting like court, is a serious
breach of etiquette.

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 L5R 4th Edition Cheat Sheet

Being a Guest
If you were invited or want to visit someone it is common to announce oneself if one finds a servant or
guard.
Should the host not wish to see you, the servant will tell you that the host is not at home until the next day
and will offer you some tea. It would be impolite to insist on seeing the host immediately.
When entering the house, it is common to leave the weapons in a special room or at a weapon stand or, if
it is allowed to carry your weapon with you, you'd place the weapon on the side where you weapon hand
is as a sign of trust. The hilt would be placed showing away from the host, otherwise you would imply that
you host doesn't know how to handle weapons.
Depending on how long the visit may take, tea will be served. Sake is only served at the evening.

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