Editing L5R Minor Clan Creation Tables

Inspired by the [[Space Marine Chapter Creation Tables]] for [[Deathwatch (RPG)|Deathwatch]], this article presents a series of 20 questions that allow you to create your own minor clan for use with the [[Legend of the Five Rings]] RPG, albeit without actual in-game rules. Note that while these tables were made with [[Fantasy Flight Games|FFG]]’s 5th Ed in mind, they could easily be used for any of the [[Alderac Entertainment Group|AEG]] editions. 

==Clan Origins==

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |1. What is the Clan's namesake symbol? (d6)
|- 
! 1
| Mammal
|-
! 2
| Bird
|-
! 3
| Insect
|-
! 4
| Fish
|-
! 5
| Reptile or Amphibian
|-
! 6
| Supernatural Creature
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |2. When Was The Clan Founded? (d10)
|- 
! 1
| 2nd-3rd Century - The foundation of Rokugani society
|-
! 2
| 4th Century - Rise of the Gozoku conspiracy
|-
! 3
| 5th Century - Gaijin are banned after the Battle of White Stag 
|-
! 4
| 6th Century - The First Coming of Iuchiban
|-
! 5
| 7th Century - Time of the Great Famine
|-
! 6
| 8th Century - Second Coming of Iuchiban
|-
! 7
| 9th Century - Return of the Ki-Rin
|-
! 8
| 10th Century - Birth of the Perfect Land sect
|-
! 9
| 11th Century - A century of peace
|-
! 10
| 12th Century - The modern era, the Scorpion Coup occurs in 1123
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |3. Who was the Clan's founder? (d10)
|- 
! 1-4
| A Great Clan samurai (Roll d7)
|-
! 5-7
| Ronin, a masterless samurai  
|-
! 8
| Non-samurai (monk, heimin, gaijin, etc)
|-
! 9
| A supernatural creature ([[Kitsune]], one of the Five Races, etc)
|-
! 10
| A union of two groups (Roll twice)
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |4. How was the clan formed? (d10)
|- 
! 1-3
| The founder and their followers claimed a piece of land, growing in size and power until they were granted a title as recognition of their claims.
|-
! 4-5
| he clan’s founder or “founder” honorably sacrificed themselves or something valuable of theirs for an important samurai, and they or their next of kin were rewarded in gratitude
|-
! 6-7
| In response to a recent crisis or in preparation for one that may occur, The Emperor created a minor clan with an imperial mandate to protect Rokugan from a particular threat.
|-
! 8-9
| The clan’s founder achieved some great victory or victories for themselves and/or Rokugan as a whole, earning a family name and land in recognition of their glorious accomplishments
|-
! 10
| The clan’s founder was actually a criminal or other dishonorable individual who gained enough power and political connections to be granted land and a title in spite of their actions.
|}

==Territory and Geography==

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |5. Where is the clan located?(d6)
|- 
! 1-3
| The clan was granted territory that used to belong to one or more of the Great Clans, and may even be an enclave.<br> To determine which clan it claimed land from, roll a d7 or use the clan it’s founder is from.
|-
! 4-5
| The clan is based on land that belonged to the Imperial families, or was otherwise unclaimed such as an off-shore island
|-
! 6
| The clan claimed territory on or perhaps even outside the borders of the Emerald Empire, separating themselves from Rokugani society as a whole outside of those few samurai who travel to the capital to pay the clan’s annual taxes
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |6. What is clan’s territory primarily like?(d6)
|- 
! 1
| Rocky and arid, extreme cold or heat
|-
! 2
| Alpine, rocky hills and sparse trees
|-
! 3
| Open grassland, sparse tree cover
|-
! 4
| Temperate forests and gentle hills
|-
! 5
| Thick, tangling woodland 
|-
! 6
| Wetland marshes and flood-planes
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |7. How suitable is the land for growing food?(d6)
|- 
! 1
| Bad or nearly inhospitable
|-
! 2
| Poor, needs other sources of food
|-
! 3-4
| Average, could fluctuate higher or lower
|-
! 5
| Pretty well suited for rice farming
|-
! 6
| Blessedly fertile, can grow anything
|}


==Clan Demographics==

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |8. How large is the clan?(d10)
|- 
! 1
| Tiny, Ex: Oriole (Automatic 0 on Questions 9 & 10) 
|-
! 2-3
| Relatively small, Ex: Tortoise (-1 to Questions 9 & 10)
|-
! 4-7
| Average size for a Minor Clan, Ex: Badger, Dragonfly (No bonus)
|-
! 8-9
| Fairly large, Ex: Falcon, Hare (+1 to Questions 9 & 10)
|-
! 10
| Absolutely massive, Ex: Mantis (+2 to Questions 9 & 10)
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |(9. How many vassal families does the clan have?(d6)
|- 
! 0-2
| None
|-
! 3-4
| One small family
|-
! 5-6
| One large or two small families 
|-
! 7+
| Two large families
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |10. How many different schools does this clan have?(d6)
|- 
! 0-2
| One
|-
! 3-6
| Two
|-
! 7
| Three
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |11. Which role(s) does the clan’s school train in?(d20)
|- 
! 1-5
| Bushi
|-
! 6-10
| Courtesans
|-
! 11-14
| Shugenja
|- 
! 15-17
| Monks or Shinobi
|-
! 18-19
| Something weird, Sages, Artisan, etc.
|-
! 20
| Combination - roll twice and combine
|}

Quick reminder: a single Clan school should not combine more than three roles


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |12. How large is the clan’s military?(d6)
|-
! 1
| Little more than a neighborhood watch
|-
! 2
| More like a glorified militia than an army
|-
! 3-4
| Small army of ashigaru and bushi
|-
! 5
| Fairly large, a notable size for a minor clan
|-
! 6
| Huge, a significant threat on its own even to a Great Clan
|}

==Clan Culture==

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |13. How wealthy is the clan?(d6)
|-
! 1
| Barely above subsistence farming
|-
! 2
| Poor for a clan but can afford some small luxuries
|-
! 3-4
| Moderately successful but not a major economic force
|-
! 5
| Wealthy enough it can afford to flaunt what its got
|-
! 6
| Filthy rich, comparable to a Great Clan family
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |14. What aspect of bushido does the clan hold higher than the others?(d8)
|-
! 1
| Compassion (Jin)
|-
! 2
| Courage (Yū)
|-
! 3
| Courtesy (Rei)
|-
! 4
| Duty & Loyalty (Chūgi)
|-
! 5
| Honor (Meiyo)
|-
! 6
| Righteousness (Gi)
|-
! 7
| Sincerity (Makoto)
|-
! 8
| None of them - skip Question 15
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |15. What aspect of bushido does the clan hold lower than the others?(d8)
|-
! 1
| Compassion (Jin)
|-
! 2
| Courage (Yū)
|-
! 3
| Courtesy (Rei)
|-
! 4
| Duty & Loyalty (Chūgi)
|-
! 5
| Honor (Meiyo)
|-
! 6
| Righteousness (Gi)
|-
! 7
| Sincerity (Makoto)
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |16. What's the clan's overall demeanor?(d20)
|-
! 1
| Grim and serious
|-
! 2
| Jovial and easy-going
|-
! 3
| Sneaky and backstabbing
|-
! 4
| Artsy and creative
|-
! 5
| Hard-working and focused
|-
! 6
| Stubborn and hard-headed
|-
! 7
| Aggressive and warlike
|-
! 8
| Peaceful and spiritual
|-
! 9
| Bookish and smart
|-
! 10
| Wild and boorish
|-
! 11
| Polite and courteous
|-
! 12
| Tricky and cunning
|-
! 13
| Loud and boastful
|-
! 14
| Quiet and meek
|-
! 15
| Brutish and stupid
|-
! 16
| Cruel and sadistic
|-
! 17
| Energetic and care-free
|-
! 18
| Mysterious and cryptic
|-
! 19
| Cold and withdrawn
|-
! 20
| Complex and hard to describe - roll twice
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |17. What is the clan's greatest pride? (d10)
|-
! 1
| A famous dojo that other clans barter to send their children to study at
|-
! 2
| Producing goods and products desired in all the highest courts
|-
! 3
| Fulfilling a great (and maybe secret) duty given to the clan's founder by the Emperor himself
|-
! 4
| Having achieved a great victory over a formidable foe
|-
! 5
| A powerful relic or nemuranai, cherished as an heirloom
|-
! 6
| Blessings from one or more of the Fortunes
|-
! 7
| Direct ties to the Imperial families themselves
|-
! 8
| A bustling town or city that draws travelers from across Rokugan
|-
! 9
| An ancestor whose heroic deeds brought great renown and glory to the clan
|-
! 10
| Numerous allies and friends to call upon in dark times<br> Roll an additional time on Question 19 
|}


{|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |18. What was the clan's darkest moment?(d10)
|-
! 1
| A great defeat that left the clan a shadow of its former self
|-
! 2
| One of their own betrayed the clan to their enemies
|-
! 3
| A failed gambit to seize power from another clan
|-
! 4
| Infiltration by a secretive cabal with nefarious designs
|-
! 5
| An ancient curse passed on through the family
|-
! 6
| The clan's leader was blackmailed into subservience to another
|-
! 7
| A secret to their origin that could damage their reputation or legitimacy
|-
! 8
| An investigation by the Emerald Champion found the clan guilty of a crime
|-
! 9
| Forming a secret alliance with a forbidden group (Roll on Question 20, take as an ally)
|-
! 10
| Starting a bloody feud with a former ally (Roll on Question 19, take as an enemy)
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |19. Who are the clan's closest allies?(d20)
|-
! 1
| Crab Clan
|-
! 2
| Crane Clan
|-
! 3
| Dragon Clan
|-
! 4
| Lion Clan
|-
! 5
| Phoenix Clan
|-
! 6
| Scorpion Clan
|-
! 7
| Unicorn Clan
|-
! 8-10
| Mantis Clan
|-
! 11-15
| Another Minor Clan (Choose one)
|-
! 16-17
| Brotherhood of Shinsei
|-
! 18
| A group of honorable ronin or merchants
|-
! 19 
| A Supernatural Race (Five Races, Kitsune, Naga, etc) 
|-
! 20
| The clan is well-liked by many, roll twice
|}


{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" align="center"
! colspan="2" |20. Whom are the clan's greatest enemies?(d20)
|-
! 1-5
| Tainted (Oni, Lost, Mahō-tsukai, etc)
|-
! 6-9
| A Gaijin culture (Ivory Kingdoms, Qamarist Caliphate, etc)
|-
! 10-12
| Secret Cult (Kolat, Perfect Land sect, etc)
|-
! 13-14
| Criminal organization (Bandits, ronin gang, etc)
|-
! 15-19
| A Samurai Clan or other group, roll on question 19
|-
! 20
| The clan has two major enemies, roll twice
|}

Don't forget to give each major or vassal family a name, and try to expound more on each of the answers you rolled to the questions above to flesh the clan out. Then congrats, you're done!

[[Category:Roleplaying]] [[Category:Legend_of_the_Five_Rings]] [[Category:Creation_Tables]]